Damaged cars. (Paul Martinka)
“KKK” scrawled on a car. (Paul Martinka)
Hate mongers torched three cars on a heavily Orthodox stretch of Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn yesterday and scrawled swastikas and other vile messages on vehicles and park benches.
Residents on the Midwood block lined with synagogues and yeshivas were awoken at 5:30 a.m. to the sounds of sirens and the sight of towering flames shooting from the vehicles.
The heinous acts of vandalism — which cops are investigating as a hate crime — came a day after the anniversary of the Nazis’ infamous “Kristallnacht” attack in Germany and Austria on Nov. 9-10, 1938, when Jews were beaten and their property was destroyed by government stormtroopers and civilian mobs.
“The fact that this most recent attack came on the heels of the 73rd anniversary of Kristallnacht may or may not be a coincidence,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “Either way, this kind of hateful act has no place in the freest city in the freest country in the world.”
Swastikas were painted on some of the benches, and a van was tagged with “KKK.”
They also spray-painted the words “F–k Jews” on the sidewalk.
“I think it’s a jealousy of wealth, and then the use of anti-Semitism as a way to express that jealousy,” said Bobby Tebeli, whose mother’s BMW X5 was burned out.
“This has really unnerved the community,” said state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represents the neighborhood.
NYPD investigators remained at the scene hours after the attack, and a heightened police presence was visible in the neighborhood.
Hillel Stein, 27, a lifelong resident, also drew a comparison to the anniversary of the Nazi-era anti-Semitic attacks.
“This is Kristallnacht all over again. People are expressing their hatred of the Jews,” Stein said.
City Councilman David Greenfield said his office would offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the attack.
Meanwhile, hate also reared its head in Queens, when a man was accused of spray painting a series of swastikas, including one on a synagogue.
Franco Rodriguez, 40, allegedly sprayed nine of the vile symbols in five different incidents between Oct. 30 and Nov. 4, police said.
One swastika defaced the door of the Jackson Heights Library. Another Nazi symbol was sprayed on the Congregation Tifereth Israel of Jackson Heights on 88th Street.
Additional reporting by Mitchel Maddux