Battling bias in the Five Towns

The Nassau County Police Department and the Metropolitan Transportatiion Authority have joined forces on an initiative to fight the recurring anti-Semitic graffiti found at two Long Island Rail Road train stations in the Five Towns.
“The initiative was prompted because the Nassau County Police Department always attacks crime trends,” said Melissa Marciano, a spokeswoman for County Executive Ed Mangano. “They offered this assistance to the MTA, who ultimately has jurisdiction.” The NCPD will install remotely monitored video surveillance cameras on the station platforms.
There have been 11 incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti at various LIRR stations in 2013 and last month, according to MTA officials. “Seven incidents happened at Cedarhurst, three at Lawrence and one at Hewlett,” said Meredith Daniels, an MTA spokeswoman. “We are offering our own additional uniformed and plainclothes patrols to the investigation.”
Cedarhurst resident Jeffrey Leb, who commutes to Manhattan on the LIRR, began posting photos of the anti-Semitic writing and images, which alerted other concerned community members to the incidents. “I’ve been following it through social media,” said Abe Wexler, who also lives in Cedarhurst. “Jeff Leb was posting it on Facebook and Twitter. It’s just outrageous.”
Avi Dreyfuss, an accountant from Cedarhurst who also commutes to the city, did not see Leb’s postings online but, like Leb, has seen the graffiti firsthand on the platforms at the Cedarhurst station. “I’ve been a Cedarhurst resident since 2002,” Dreyfuss said. “Demographics in a neighborhood change, and the minority left get upset. They’re just frustrated, not terrible people.”