Upper West Side Church Vandalized With Swastikas
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A Unitarian Universalist church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan found itself the victim of vandalism with two swastikas carved into its front doors on Tuesday.
The Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York on Central Park West and 76th Street voted on February 5th “to offer short term sanctuary to undocumented individuals and families facing deportation,” according to its website.
“Our congregation has Jewish members, and even someone who fled the Nazis themselves, so the symbol has real power here,” Rev. Schuyler Vogel told DNAinfo. The reverend also said they are planning an interfaith event in response to the vandalism.
Unitarian Universalist churches accept people of all faiths. “Unitarian Universalists believe more than one thing,” according to the Unitarian Universalist Association’s website. “We are Unitarian Universalist and Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, atheist and agnostic, believers in God, and more.”
New York City has seen a doubling of hate crime so far this year, according to the NYPD.
Contact Shira Hanau at hanau@forward.com or on Twitter @shirahanau
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