Man suspected of writing ‘Kill all Jews’ on Brooklyn synagogue arrested
An anti-Semitic incidentJames Polite charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime

Man suspected of writing ‘Kill all Jews’ on Brooklyn synagogue arrested

James Polite is also suspected to have set fires in front of several yeshivas and synagogues in the Chasidic Williamsburg neighborhood.

A man suspected of writing “Kill All Jews” on a historic Brooklyn synagogue and setting fires in front of several yeshivas and synagogues in the Chasidic Williamsburg neighborhood was arrested by police.

James Polite, 26, was arrested on Friday evening, Nov. 2, and later charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime and making graffiti, the Associated Press reported.

He reportedly was admitted to a hospital psychiatric ward for observation, according to the AP.

The fires were set early Friday morning at seven locations in South Williamsburg, all of them in front of Chasidic synagogues or yeshivas.

Because of the “Kill All Jews” graffiti discovered the previous day at Union Temple in Brooklyn Heights, a political event scheduled for that night to be hosted by “Broad City” star Ilana Glazer was cancelled. Other hateful graffiti were discovered throughout the synagogue.

Polite spent most of his childhood in foster care but a chance meeting with former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in 2008 presented him with the opportunity for an internship at City Hall.

According to a 2017 New York Times profile, Polite interned for Quinn for several years “working on initiatives to combat hate crime, sexual assault and domestic violence.” PJC

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