UPDATE-April 11:  Ruben Ubiles, 35, was arrested on April 10, 2013 and charged with 12 counts of burglary as a hate crime, 12 counts of arson as a hate crime and 12 counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime. 

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today strongly condemned the desecration of mezuzahs on several Jewish families’ homes in a Williamsburg, Brooklyn housing complex in the afternoon hours on April 8.

According to Police, fire was set to nearly a dozen mezuzahs outside the front doors of residents in the Taylor-Wythe House, a public housing complex.
“This is a blatant act of anti-Semitism with a clear attempt to instill fear and intimidate the victims in their homes,” said Etzion Neuer, ADL Acting New York Regional Director.  “It is particularly disturbing that this horrific act of hate occurred on Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time in which we remember the heinous acts committed against the Jewish people.”
A mezuzah is a small piece of parchment with sacred text from the Hebrew bible housed in a protective case and affixed to the doorpost of a Jewish home.
“We continue to maintain close contact with law enforcement and commend the swift actions of the NYPD,” said Mr. Neuer.  “We are confident that the perpetrators of these heinous acts will be quickly brought to justice.”

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.