WHITE PLAINS - Hundreds gathered for an interfaith vigil today at the Garden of Remembrance where anti-Semitic materials were found on the eve of Yom Kippur in a memorial honoring those lost in the Holocaust.

The Garden of Remembrance is located at the Michaelian Office Building, 148 Martine Ave. in downtown White Plains.

The garden is a fenced in area on county land that was created in the 1980s by a group of citizens and with the support of former Westchester County Executive Andrew O'Rourke as a permanent remembrance for those who were lost in the Holocaust.

Two obscene fliers featuring hateful slogans were discovered at the garden on Tuesday, the eve of Yom Kippur, the highest of holy days in the Jewish faith.

The fliers were pasted onto the fencing of the memorial's entrance, which indicate the garden is in remembrance of those lost in the Holocaust.

"Because of the timing, before Yom Kippur, the most solemn day in the Jewish religious calendar, and because it was done at a location that was specifically put aside to remember those who suffered from anti-Semitic behavior in the days of Nazi Germany, we certainly believe this was a purposeful act of hatred," Latimer said after the incident.

Officials believe the incident occurred on Monday, though it was only discovered on Tuesday. The fliers were removed and the adhesive backing was cleaned off the memorial entrance following the incident being reported to officials.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to offer assistance in investigating this incident, he said in a statement on Twitter.

"More than 74 years ago the entire world reeled in shock, horror and sorrow over the senseless murder of more than six million Jews — mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends and neighbors," Cuomo said. "Vandalizing a memorial lovingly built in their honor is a revolting and cowardly act."

"The hate crime discovered yesterday at the Garden of Remembrance Holocaust Memorial is a chilling reminder that ignorance and hate know no boundaries," White Plains Mayor Tom Roach said. "In the interim we stand together as one city, one community, against these senseless acts and those who perpetrate them."

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