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06/26/2009 09:23 AM

Swastika Painted On Lower East Side Synagogue

By: NY1 News

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Police are investigating after a swastika was found yesterday painted on the inside of a Manhattan synagogue.

A swastika and a derogatory word were painted on an inside door of the Bialystoker Synagogue on East Broadway. A smoke bomb was set off, as well.

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has attended the synagogue since he was a child and said he was furious to discover what had happened.

"This is a crime, not against the synagogue; this is a crime against society," said the assemblyman. "When people choose to desecrate a house of worship, it doesn't matter whether it's a church, a synagogue. It is just a despicable act that really should tug at the heartstrings of all of us."

Silver said surveillance cameras nearby may have caught the perpetrators.