Posters of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas torn down in New York suburb
NYACK, N.Y. - In a suburb known for tolerance, there are signs of tension of the Israel-Hamas war.
Posters of some of the hostages taken by Hamas were torn down in the Rockland County village of Nyack.
For one woman, it was a call to action.
Early Tuesday, the windows at a former Starbucks in Nyack were mostly empty, with just a few notices for local events. If you looked closely, there were remnants of the posters that filled the windows two days ago - until someone ripped most of them down.
"It's atrocious. Absolutely atrocious. These poor people have suffered enough," Rockland County resident Dan DeSerio said.
Dana Schneider has had enough.
"I think there's a rise in antisemitism in New York," Schneider.
Midday Tuesday, when she realized the posters of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas had been torn down, she printed more and put them back up.
"I'm a proud Zionist, Jewish woman, Israeli woman, and I care about my family and my friends, so this is what I'm doing. And I will be printing more, and you'll be seeing them all over Nyack," Schneider said.
The village is widely seen as progressive and tolerant. Still, someone seemingly took offense at posters intended to illustrate the human toll of the Oct. 7 terror attack.
"Nothing surprises me at this point. Nothing," Schneider said.
The village mayor said local police were investigating.
The kidnapped posters can easily be torn down, but there's another symbol of support for Israel that can't be easily removed - a half dozen Israeli flags flying over Nyack's Main Street, posted beyond the reach of any of who would remove them.
Kidnapped posters were also torn down at New York University. The Anti-Defamation League urged NYU to take steps so Jewish students feel safe and welcome on campus.
