Jewish Man Attacked While Entering New York Synagogue Amid Spike in Antisemitic Hate Crimes
A Jewish man was attacked in the Queens borough of New York City after an unknown individual threw a rock at him on his way to synagogue, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
The incident happened on Saturday while a 23-year-old man, wearing Jewish religious clothing, was on his way to a synagogue by Kew Gardens Hills in Queens when a rock was thrown at him from inside a white van, according to The New York Post. Police released photos of the van Monday, asking the public to come forward if they knew anything about the incident or the person in the van, according to a Facebook post from the NYPD Crime Stoppers.
An NYPD spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a prepared statement that police are currently attempting to identify the “individual … in connection with an aggravated harassment hate crime incident.”
“It was reported to police that on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at approximately 09:06 hours, the 23-year-old male victim was walking into a synagogue located at 139-19 72 Road when an unknown individual inside of a vehicle driving by the location threw a small rock at the victim, making contact with his leg,” the statement read. “The vehicle, which is described as a white Sprinter van with graffiti on the sides, continued traveling westbound on 72 Road toward 139 Street.”
The Jewish man was unhurt, according to the NYPD, and declined medical attention at the scene. The department also confirmed that the hate crime task force was overseeing the investigation.
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Attacks against Jews, particularly in New York, have increased in the last several years. In April, a large piece of cement was thrown through a Jewish woman’s window that displayed the state of Israel’s flag, nearly missing her.
Out of 194 attacks, 94% of the victims of anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York from 2018 to 2022 were considered religious or identifiable Jews, according to a report from Americans Against Antisemitism. Recently-released FBI hate crime statistics found that attacks against Jews across the country reached an all-time high at 814 in 2021, and that antisemitic-motivated assaults had increased by 16% from 2020.
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