[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Midwood residents gathered at Congregation Ohel Moshe in Midwood, Brooklyn on Monday night with questions for the police department, to learn whether they were safe and what they could do to help the investigation.

On Friday morning, three cars were torched on Ocean Parkway. Anti-Semitic graffiti was found on and around the cars, including the words “SS” and “KKK.”

“I’m very shocked to see a wild, anti-Semitic, violent situation like this occur,” said a local.

One man who attended the meeting says he is a holocaust survivor and the incident left him shaken.

“It was like a knife went into my heart, that it could happen to America,” he said.

The meeting was organized by City Councilman David Greenfield, who said the goal is to make sure everyone is involved in the search for suspects.

“By bringing everybody together with representatives from the mayor’s office, the [Brooklyn] district attorney and the NYPD, I think people see that the community is going to work together and we are going to solve this crime and catch these people who are responsible,” said Greenfield.

NY1 cameras were not allowed inside the packed hour-long meeting, but Inspector John Sprague, the head of the local precinct, told residents police have collected significant forensic evidence from the cars and sections of the benches where graffiti was found.

Beer bottles were also found and are being analyzed.

Police said gathering information and tips from the community will be key, and many people did approach officers with tips afterwards.

“The NYPD assured everybody living in this area that they will do everything to bring these people to justice,” said a local.

“It was a very informative meeting, in the sense that we know they are out there looking, and it’s good to know that it’s not something that’s usual. It’s an unusual situation,” said another.

When Sprague was asked if there was any other explanation for this crime besides anti-Semitism, the inspector said it is being investigated solely as a hate crime.

He also said the NYPD has put extra officers on the streets to show the “bad guys” that their action will not be tolerated.

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