By: Fern Sidman

A disturbing controversy has erupted on Manhattan’s Upper West Side—one of New York City’s most heavily Jewish neighborhoods—after Robert Josman, the longtime president and treasurer of the NYPD’s 24th Precinct Community Council, was filmed tearing down posters of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks.

As reported by The New York Post on Saturday, Josman, 59, was recorded on at least two separate occasions removing flyers that featured images and names of hostages abducted by Hamas during its brutal rampage across southern Israel. One recent video shows Josman casually ripping down posters while walking his dog. Another clip, dating back to October, shows him using scissors to methodically slice down flyers from a street pole—where he was confronted by passersby who questioned his actions.

Despite being challenged, Josman did not identify himself in the video. Instead, he insisted it was “illegal” to post signage on public property and claimed he had “consulted with the precinct” about removing them—while also acknowledging that he does not work for the city, The New York Post reported.

Critics, however, point out that no other types of signage—including event flyers, lost pet posters, or commercial ads—appear to have been targeted by Josman. That selective enforcement, they argue, sends a chilling message.

In response, a coalition of concerned Upper West Siders is demanding that Josman be removed from his role as head of the precinct’s community council—a volunteer position that advises local NYPD leadership and makes recommendations on neighborhood policing.

“Mr. Josman—whose role is to foster community and police cooperation—has directly undermined his own role by demonstrating overt hatred toward an ethnic group within the city community,” the group wrote in a formal letter to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and NYPD leadership, as cited by The New York Post.

They accuse Josman of leveraging his advisory position to carry out an ideologically motivated campaign against Jewish residents, rather than any neutral concern for municipal regulations.

“This selective enforcement to address only the hostage posters while leaving other signage intact makes plain that Mr. Josman is not focused on protecting lampposts,” the letter continues, “but is instead determined to inflict hatred by spiting the Jewish and Israeli communities in his neighborhood.”

The incident has drawn intense condemnation from Jewish advocacy organizations. Brooke Goldstein, founder of the #EndJewHatred movement, called Josman’s behavior “a despicable act” and a “deliberate attempt to erase awareness” of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

“Such behavior, especially while hostages—including Edan Alexander, an American from New Jersey—still remain in the clutches of Hamas terrorists and are being tortured and abused every day, reflects an alarming level of hostility toward Jewish people,” Goldstein told The New York Post.

She called on Josman to resign immediately, and urged city officials to mandate anti-discrimination training for all public servants, including volunteer precinct council members.

The Upper West Side’s 24th Precinct, where Josman holds his council role, recorded 21 hate crime incidents in 2023, according to NYPD statistics published by The New York Post. That number places the precinct fifth highest out of the city’s 78 precincts, and marks a 35% increase from 2022.

Manhattan has the second-largest Jewish population of any borough after Brooklyn. The Upper West Side alone is home to approximately 54,000 Jewish adults, making it one of the most culturally and religiously Jewish-dense neighborhoods in all of New York City.

For many in the community, the removal of hostage posters is not a trivial offense, but an act that dehumanizes victims of terror and sows distrust in the very institutions meant to protect diverse populations.

Despite the growing backlash, Robert Josman has not responded to requests for comment from The New York Post. The NYPD also declined to comment, saying it has no complaints on file regarding Josman’s conduct.

But for residents and Jewish organizations, silence is no longer acceptable. Many view Josman’s behavior as incompatible with the responsibilities of community leadership, particularly in a neighborhood that has already seen a surge in anti-Semitic incidents, The New York Post reported.

As calls for his resignation grow louder, the Josman case has emerged as a flashpoint in the post-October 7 atmosphere in New York City, where tensions surrounding anti-Semitism, free expression, and public messaging remain highly charged.

The act of tearing down hostage posters is being viewed by many as a form of symbolic violence. And for those still waiting for the safe return of hostages from Hamas captivity, it is a cruel attempt to erase their suffering from the public conscience.