INWOOD — Police are investigating after a local rabbi had a mezuzah stolen from the door of his family's home on Isham Street.
Herschel Hartz, 30, said he and his family arrived home on Sunday at approximately 8:30 p.m. to find an “big empty spot” where their mezuzah was firmly placed on the door frame.
The mezuzah is a piece of parchment hung near the entrance to a home that features a prayer declaring the connection of the home to God.
“It’s a pretty well-known symbol,” Hartz said. “Lots of Jewish people do it.”
Because the mezuzah is so familiar, Hartz said he was alarmed anyone would take it from their apartment door on 585 Isham St.
The building's superintendent, who declined to provide his name, said surveillance footage shows three teenagers running through the hallways and ripping the mezuzah off the door before exiting through the main door.
It’s the first time Hartz and his family, who moved from Brooklyn a little less than a year ago, have experienced this type of incident in the community, he said.
“It’s surprising that it happened to us,” said Hartz, who runs programs out of his apartment. “We’re sort of the center of Jewish life [here]. People know us.”
Hartz and his family have led several community programs, some specifically geared to the Hispanic-Jewish population, for almost three years. He and his wife were both students at Yeshiva University in Washington Heights.
The NYPD confirmed it is investigating the incident but didn’t specify if it had any leads.
Hartz said police told him they couldn’t classify the theft as a hate crime but noted it potentially could be related to other incidents in the area.
Last week, a Jewish student was told to take off his yarmulke inside a Dunkin' Donuts in Washington Heights. A few days before that incident, a man was arrested for trying to set a Washington Heights church on fire.
For now, Hartz said his goal is to share what happened to his family and let his neighbors know to encourage them "to unite more."
"Our response should be one of strength," he said. "Our job is to continue to persevere."
