More than 200 Muslims, Christians and Jews yesterday rallied to decry the desecration of a Westchester synagogue allegedly trashed by three teenage girls.
Gathering outside the Mohegan Park Jewish Center in Yorktown, the interfaith group urged parents to better teach their children religious tolerance.
“[Their parents] should take them by the hand to the Holocaust museum in lower Manhattan and show them the true meaning of hate, injustice and genocide,” said Lawrence Kaufman.
“We have a responsibility to educate our young people, despite the obvious shortcoming of these young girls.”
Barbara Nokaj, 18, of Yorktown Heights, Michelle Bushell, 17, of Cortlandt, and a 15-year-old Yorktown Heights girl whose name was withheld because of her age, allegedly destroyed a Torah, painted a swastika on a wall, tore down an Israeli flag and splattered paint inside the synagogue.
They caused damage in the thousands of dollars, officials estimated.
Alan Most, 52, who told authorities that he saw the suspects after looking through a window, said that when they were confronted, one of the three “said something like, ‘We were told to come here.’ ”
He said he then noticed prayer books on the floor and the ripped Torah.
“I started screaming at them to get out. It’s awful, unbelievable that kids could act so senselessly,” he said.
Most called police as the girls allegedly took off in a Honda Civic. They later surrendered to police.
Nokaj and Bushell were being held without bail; the younger girl was released to her parents.
They were charged with burglary and could face additional charges, police said.