Nazi scrawl mars local store

      "I'm very upset," the owner of Paprika, who declined to be identified, said of the incident last week. "I have no idea who would do something like that. I have been breaking my head for two days trying to figure it out."
      Paprika, at 392 Central Ave., which also sells handbags and accessories, opened about 15 months ago across from the Lawrence-Cedarhurst firehouse. The owner said that he has been welcomed into the neighborhood, and had only positive experiences until graffiti was scrawled on the side wall of his shop.
      "It's a beautiful neighborhood," he said. "I feel like family in this neighborhood."
      The incident took place sometime between 11 p.m. on June 1 and 6 p.m. the following day, according to 4th Squad detectives. They said that a swastika, a German eagle and the words "no" and "SS" were spray-painted on the side and back walls in black, the images and letters measuring 1 to 2 feet.
      Detective Lt. Larry Feffer of the 4th Squad said the incident is being investigated as a bias crime, adding that there is no reason to believe that the owner of Paprika was specifically targeted for the anti-Semitic act. "We have no information to say that he was or he wasn't," said Feffer.
      Even though he is Jewish, the storekeeper said he believes it was a random act and that he was in no way a target of anti-Semitism. He added that the vandal or vandals probably were attempting to stir up emotions in the mostly Orthodox Jewish community. "Obviously, you don't have to be a genius to figure that out," he said. "It's very confusing to me. I'm sure it's not [directed at] me or my business, but probably because of my neighborhood, which has many Orthodox Jews. I feel upset because of the history.
      "It's upsetting to see any graffiti done, especially this type of graffiti," he added.
      Many elderly residents live in the neighborhood, he said, and several of them are Holocaust survivors who would feel particularly pained to seeing the images, which were cleaned off within a day of their discovery. "It's very disturbing, and I hope they catch the person who did it," he said.
      Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, spiritual leader of Temple Israel of Lawrence, said, "This is not only a violation against property, but people, especially in our area, with so many families who lost loved ones because of the Holocaust. This act highlights the need for greater education and maintaining vigilance by the police department."
      "It would be nice if someone saw it [being done] and gave us some information on it," Feffer said. "It was up there for about a day."
      Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said.
      Hate crimes in Nassau County jumped 22 percent from 2006 to 2007, and included several high-profile anti-Semitic incidents in the Five Towns, according to police statistics. There were 123 such crimes in 2006 and 150 last year, with many occurring last fall, around the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Some were anti-black incidents, and included nooses found in several locations around the county.
      Statistics for 2008 were not available as of press time.

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