ORANGEBURG — The owner of an Italian restaurant that was the target of a burglary and anti-Semitic threats said he had no idea why anyone would single out his establishment.
"I don't know why anyone would do this," Ed Rudzin, owner of Cassie's, a popular restaurant on Route 303, said Thursday. "I don't have any enemies, I don't have any vendettas."
Swastikas and a death threat written in German were found in the restaurant over the Memorial Day weekend.
The manager of the restaurant reported to Orangetown police Monday afternoon that when he opened the restaurant, he found swastikas spray-painted inside and outside the business.
A threat to kill Jews was written in German inside the restaurant.
Between $2,000 and $3,000 cash was taken from an office. Police are investigating the break-in as a bias incident.
They had not made any arrests as of Friday.
Rudzin said police have visited his restaurant several times to ask him for more information.
He said he thinks that his business was specifically targeted.
The incident has caught the attention of a local anti-hate group called Not In Our Town-Rockland.
The year-old group meets regularly to discuss ways to combat hate and bias crimes of all types.
"I don't think our community is any more prone to hatred than any other community," said Joseph Coe, a Pomona resident and member of the group. "What is making our community special is a growing group of people sending the message that hate is not accepted in Rockland County."
Coe said that last week he saw three swastikas on a bus stop in Pomona.
Police were notified and the swastikas were removed right away, Coe said.
But he was disheartened to learn that just days later the Orangeburg restaurant was the site of another bias crime.
"Hate is not a Rockland value," he said.
Orangetown police said they do not think the incident at Cassie's is related to any other recent crimes.
They are asking anyone with information to call them at 845-359-3700.
No comments:
Post a Comment