Vandalism put Jewish worshippers on edge last week when a synagogue and community center serving the Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood of Windsor Terrace was defaced just days before Yom Kippur.

According to Rabbi Moshe Hecht, a surveillance camera recorded an unidentified man writing apparent anti-Semitic graffiti on a sign in front of the synagogue’s building the evening of Sept. 22.

Hecht and the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education, a Chabad-Lubavitch organization that sponsors programs with several synagogues in the New York area, held a press conference a day after the graffiti was discovered.

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“This is a shock to the entire community and it’s unfortunate that this type of thing even exists in the world, but people from the community have been showing their support,” said Hecht, who recently presided over a Torah dedication ceremony at the center. “Torah brings unity and our job is to spread this unity and goodness throughout our community.”

As such, Hecht’s community spent the holiday of Yom Kippur, just five days after the incident, in a “spirit of hope and inspiration,” resolving to spread goodness and kindness in response to the vandalism.

Randy Cherkas, a 47-year-old job developer, has lived in the neighborhood for almost eight years and had never before seen anti-Semitism near his home. Not wishing to overreact, he said that he will continue to participate in Friday night services and encourage others to attend Chabad’s activities.

“It was very surprising and disturbing, because I’ve never seen anything like this in the neighborhood before,” he said. “It’s really a shame, because we’re trying to create a good atmosphere here. But it was just graffiti, so we’ll just hope that it’s not repeated.”

The center, which hosted some 50 people for Rosh Hashanah services, holds weekly Shabbat services and Torah discussion classes, and is home to a preschool of 30 children.

The synagogue was established to be a source of inspiration and education to both the Jewish community and the public,” said Hecht. “Since we moved into this neighborhood about one year ago, our neighbors have shown us outstanding warmth and acceptance. This is a peaceful and tolerant community, and hatred and bigotry will not find its home here.”