![An Israeli flag [Ilustrative]](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_720,w_1280/438338 "An Israeli flag [Ilustrative]")
Two brothers from Hornell, New York, were arrested and charged with hate crimes after allegedly stealing an Israeli flag from a flagpole outside a business and later setting it on fire at their home.
The suspects, Cormac Thomas Banco, 28, and his brother Declan Peter Banco, 31, were arrested on Saturday at approximately 7:32 a.m., according to the Hornell Police Department, following an investigation into the theft of the flag from a flagpole on Park Drive.
Police said the investigation determined that the flag was taken to the brothers’ home, where it was burned.
Both brothers were charged with hate crimes related to theft and criminal damage, as well as destroying evidence. Cormac Banco was also charged with resisting arrest. The two were taken to the Steuben County Jail, where they were booked later that evening.
Hornell once home to small Jewish community
Hornell is a small city in Steuben County in western New York, located about 90 kilometers south of Rochester. The city has a population of approximately 8,000 people. It was once known as an important railroad hub and earned the nickname “Maple City” because of the maple trees that once surrounded the area.
The city was once home to a small Jewish community. The Orthodox Beth El Synagogue was established in Hornell in 1946, later briefly operated as a Conservative congregation, and eventually closed. The building was designated a national historic site in 2016.
In 2022, the former synagogue was targeted by neo-Nazis, who distributed propaganda materials, including swastikas, at the site and at two local churches.