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Anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled onto the side of a Ridgewood building over the weekend

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Photos courtesy of Richard Kostelanetz

With incidents of hate crimes on the rise in the wake of Donald Trump’s election to the White House, a Ridgewood building has become the latest target of anti-Semitic graffiti.

Richard Kostelanetz, the owner of 1051 Wyckoff Ave., said he was alerted to the hateful vandalism — which reads “Jew Man” accompanied by a face with what appears to be a yarmulke and curly hair — in two locations on the building by a neighbor late Sunday evening.

Kostelanetz is an artist who has owned the building for the last six years. He rents out space inside his building as well as space on the exterior for advertising to other artists in the area. Kostelanetz happens to be Jewish, but it is not clear if the message is directed at him.

“I don’t know what to say, I’m dumbfounded,” he said in a phone interview with QNS. “I’ve been here six years. I thought this was a good neighborhood, at least it used to be. Obviously this was objectionable. Whoever did this better get their head together, they’re going to be in trouble.”

The same “Jew Man” graffiti was also found on the same building near the entrance to the Halsey Street subway station.

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Kostelanetz said he called 911 and reported the incident on Monday morning. Kostelanetz rents out the side of the building as advertising space, so he also informed the artist who rented the space that the vandalism had occurred.

QNS has reached out to the 104th Precinct for comment on the matter and is awaiting reply.