New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani issued his first public condemnation of antisemitism since winning office after swastikas were spray-painted on a Brooklyn yeshiva Tuesday night—an

incident that occurred just minutes after his election was called.

Two red swastikas were found on the exterior of Magen David Yeshivah in Gravesend around 9:53 p.m., according to security footage circulating online and a statement from the NYPD. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the school was among “several Jewish sites” vandalized overnight, though she provided no further details.

Mamdani, who had been preparing his victory speech at the time of the attack, denounced the graffiti the following morning.

“This is a disgusting and heartbreaking act of antisemitism, and it has no place in our beautiful city,” he wrote on X. “As mayor, I will always stand steadfast with our Jewish neighbors to root the scourge of antisemitism out of our city.”

The NYPD said no arrests have been made and that the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. A second swastika was discovered at a construction site a block away, though police could not confirm whether that location had ties to a Jewish institution.

Magen David Yeshivah declined to comment, but the school’s principal reportedly informed families that security measures had been increased.

The yeshiva sits in Gravesend, a center of New York’s Sephardic Jewish community. The school had recently required parents to show proof of voter registration, part of broader community efforts to oppose Mamdani over his stance on Israel. In the general election, roughly two-thirds of neighborhood voters backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, compared to 22% for Mamdani.

Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams did not immediately comment on the incident. Hochul condemned the vandalism on X, calling the attacks “cowardly” and “intolerable.”

Jewish organizations also sounded alarms. UJA-Federation of New York called the graffiti “a painful reminder of the rising tide of antisemitism that continues to threaten Jewish communities across New York.”

Political response was swift. The Republican Jewish Coalition, which had criticized Mamdani at a recent convention in Las Vegas, demanded he speak out against the vandalism.

“This reprehensible and odious vandalism must be unequivocally condemned by City leaders, especially Mayor-elect Mamdani,” the group wrote in a Facebook post published minutes after Mamdani’s statement. “It is his solemn responsibility to protect ALL New Yorkers.”

Speaking to reporters in Queens on Wednesday, Mamdani reiterated that commitment.

“I look forward to being the mayor for every person that calls this city home,” he said, noting that his administration would work to safeguard Jewish New Yorkers “whether they voted for our campaign or not.”

“I take the issue of antisemitism incredibly seriously,” he added, saying his City Hall would be judged by its actions beginning January 1. Photo by Bingjiefu He, Wikimedia commons.