A Yorktown congregation is reeling after three Westchester teenage girls allegedly broke into its synagogue and wrecked the place – ripping a Torah, trampling the Israeli flag and throwing paint on the floors and walls.
Members of the Mohegan Park Jewish Center at 1688 Decatur Road, along with County Executive Andrew Spano, are set to rally today at 2 p.m. against the hateful act.
“The symbolism of what’s been done is the symbolism of hatred, and that’s what we’re standing up against,” said Judith Kahn, whose husband, Roger, is president of the synagogue.
The three suspects, Barbara Nokaj, 18, of Yorktown, Michelle Bushell, 17, of Cortlandt, and an unidentified 15-year-old girl, are accused of breaking into the center through a window Thursday. They face felony third-degree burglary charges.
The trio was caught when neighbor Alan Most walked his Irish terrier past the synagogue, saw the broken window and confronted the vandals, cops said.
Nokaj and Bushell are each held at the Westchester County Jail without bail and are due in a Yorktown court Thursday, while the 15-year-old was released to her parents, police said.
Nokaj’s mom, who would not give her name, said only, “My daughter was arrested for no reason.”