Day: November 5, 2025

A Gravesend yeshiva was vandalized with spray-painted swastikas late on Tuesday night.

A security guard at Magen David Yeshivah on McDonald Avenue discovered two red swastikas painted on a window and pillar at the front of the building at about 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 5 and called 911, police said. The building is home to an Orthodox Jewish elementary school and is part of a larger campus that includes a rabbinical college and an early childhood education center. 

No arrests had been made as of Wednesday afternoon, police said, and an investigation by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is underway. 

The school’s principal, Rabbi Ezra-Cohen Saban, said in an email to parents that extra security was onsite Wednesday as the investigation unfolded, according to the Daily News. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul said “several” Jewish sites had been vandalized with swastikas on Tuesday, though details about the additional sites were not immediately clear. 

The incident, which took place in the hours after Zohran Mamdani was certified as the mayor-elect, inflamed tensions in the neighborhood and online. Some Jewish New Yorkers have been critical of Mamdani, who has long voiced criticism of the Israeli government and support for Palestinians. 

Antisemitic hate crimes skyrocketed in New York City and across the U.S. after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, and the rate of antisemitic incidents has remained high since then. Many critical of Mamdani feared that his views could further embolden antisemitism in New York City.  

On X, U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis called on Mamdani to “condemn this hateful graffiti.”

Mamdani, in a separate post, said the incident was a “disgusting and heartbreaking act of antisemitism … with no place in our beautiful city.”

“As Mayor, I will always stand steadfast with our Jewish neighbors to root the scourge of antisemitism out of our city,” he added.

DEMOCRAT KAYLA SANTOSUOSSO represents another historic win in City Council District 47, which stretches from Bath Beach to Sea Gate.

The post Brannan staffer Kayla Santosuosso wins Council District 47 race appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Three Democrats and two Republicans won in southern Brooklyn City Council races on Tuesday’s election night, Nov. 4.

The post ✰PREMIUM <br>Southern Brooklyn saw city council elections end in blowouts appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Marie Driven, the Haitian-American managing partner of the Brooklyn-based entertainment company, PlaybookMG, told Caribbean Life on Monday, Nov. 4, that Forde and Bristol are doing so through “Music Brings Life,” a nonprofit, “merging music, culture, and advocacy to raise awareness about the urgent need for blood donations across Black, Caribbean, and Latino communities.”

Driven said, “Music Brings Life,” and the Sickle Cell Consortium has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club to launch this fall a three-state film screening tour for the new documentary, “Students Are Heroes: A Sickle Cell Warrior’s Story.”

“The film highlights the courage of students and families living with sickle cell disease and how community action, particularly within the Caribbean Diaspora, can create life-saving change.”

She said the tour launched successfully at the Worley Brown Boys & Girls Club in Norcross, Georgia, will continue through New York City and New Jersey, with a nationwide expansion planned for 2026.

Driven said Prince and Keenan both share deep Caribbean roots.

She said Prince Forde (Barbados/Brooklyn) is the cultural producer, co-founder of Caribbean Elite Magazine and the Caribbean Music Awards, and COO of Music Brings Life.

Keenan “Special” Bristol (Guyana) is the founder of Music Brings Life, who has helped collect over 5,000 units of blood since 2009 through music-driven campaigns and outreach, Driven said.

“Together, they are on a mission to educate and inspire Caribbean and Latino families about the importance of blood donation and awareness for sickle cell disease, which disproportionately affects people of African and Caribbean descent,” Driven said.

“This collaboration represents a powerful cultural moment, one where Caribbean creativity meets community health to drive awareness and action.”

Lace up your skates, Brooklynites!

The Roebling Rink will make its grand return to Brooklyn Bridge Park this winter, bringing back one of the borough’s most affordable and scenic ice-skating spots.

Back for its second season, the rink opens Nov. 24 and runs through Feb. 1, giving skaters a chance to glide beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and take in sweeping views of lower Manhattan and the harbor.

A one-hour session costs $16 per person. Skate rentals are available for $8, and helmets or “skate buddies” can be rented for $5 each. All prices include taxes and fees.

Locals have even more reason to celebrate — Brooklyn residents can claim a limited number of free tickets during select sessions on a first-come, first-served basis by showing ID.

Public skating hours run from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 12:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. Skaters can book a time slot and arrive anytime within a two-hour window for their hour on the ice.

New this year, schools and extracurricular groups can reserve private field trip sessions on Friday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon. Lessons with professional instructors from Fireworks Skating Academy are also available for first-timers or those looking to sharpen their skills.

Located at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, the rink sits just steps from the bustling Dumbo scene, with nearby restaurants including Grimaldi’s Pizza, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and L&B Spumoni Gardens.

The Roebling Rink is easily accessible by subway via the F, A/C or 2/3 lines, the NYC Ferry’s Dumbo stop, and the B25 bus.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit roeblingrink.com.