A Pittsburgh woman, Talya A. Lubit, has been sentenced to five years of probation for her role in conspiring to damage and deface Jewish properties in the city. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand following Lubit’s conviction on charges of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and defacing and damaging a religious building.
Court documents state that Lubit, 25, and her codefendant Mohamad Hamad planned and carried out acts of vandalism targeting the Chabad of Squirrel Hill, a center for Jewish educational programming and religious services located in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. In the early morning hours of July 29, 2024, the two spray-painted “Jews 4 Palestine” along with an inverted triangle onto the exterior of the Chabad building using red paint. The symbol had previously appeared in videos released by Hamas during recent conflict in Gaza as a marker for Israeli targets.
The motivation behind the vandalism stemmed from what authorities described as “shared growing animosity towards Israel since the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and the war that ensued between Israel and Hamas.”
Charges remain pending against Hamad, who is also accused of making false statements within federal jurisdiction and possessing destructive devices.
As part of her sentence, Lubit will pay $10,534 in restitution for damages to both the Chabad property and graffiti left on an entry sign at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
During sentencing, victim impact statements were read from both affected organizations. Chabad of Squirrel Hill said the spray-painting was “not only physical but deeply symbolic” and described it as “a painful reminder that we remain a target,” adding that it “caused distress and fear among our members.” The Jewish Federation stated: “the hateful words and symbols painted on our Federation sign revived deep feelings of fear, violation and vulnerability” and noted that the act’s premeditated nature indicated their employees were targeted.
“Talya Lubit instilled fear in the Pittsburgh Jewish community by spray-painting a synagogue with the mark of a designated foreign terrorist organization, along with vandalizing the sign of a building belonging to an organization that provides critical services to members of the Jewish community and others,” said Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti. “Protected speech obviously does not include damaging or defacing religious property, and our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the civil rights of all members of our community to practice their faiths and to live without fear.”
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
