A Pittsburgh woman has been sentenced to five years of probation for her role in conspiring to damage and deface Jewish properties in the city. Talya A. Lubit, 25, received her sentence from United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand after being convicted of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and defacing and damaging a religious building.
Court documents state that Lubit, along with codefendant Mohamad Hamad, planned and carried out vandalism at the Chabad of Squirrel Hill on July 29, 2024. The Chabad serves as a center for Jewish educational programming and religious services in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. In the early morning hours, Lubit and Hamad spray-painted “Jews 4 Palestine” with an inverted triangle onto the exterior of the building using red paint. The inverted triangle had previously appeared in online videos posted by Hamas during fighting in Gaza, where it was used to mark Israeli targets.
The motivation behind the act stemmed from both defendants’ growing animosity towards Israel following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and subsequent conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Hamad faces additional charges, including making false statements within the jurisdiction of the Executive branch of the United States and possession of destructive devices; these charges are still pending.
Lubit has agreed to pay $10,534 in restitution for damages caused to both the Chabad property and an entry sign at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh that was also spray-painted on July 29.
During sentencing, victim impact statements were read from representatives of both targeted institutions. The Chabad described the incident as “not only physical but deeply symbolic” and “a painful reminder that we remain a target,” noting it “caused distress and fear among our members.” The Jewish Federation said that “the hateful words and symbols painted on our Federation sign revived deep feelings of fear, violation and vulnerability,” adding that “the vandalism’s premeditated nature based on our remote location made it clear that the target was not just property, but our employees.”
“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 this case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading up to Lubit's prosecution.
