Three consecutive attacks against Jews occurred in the New York area earlier in February, according to local reports.
On February 8, an 11-year-old girl who police described as wearing traditional Jewish attire had her hair pulled and was dragged to the ground in an assault, the NYPD Crime Stoppers X/Twitter account shared last week.
The account, a public/private partnership between the NYPD and the New York City Police Foundation, also posted a photo of the perpetrator.
Crown Heights Shmira shared on X/Twitter that on the same Saturday afternoon, an assailant approached a group of Jewish men, attempted to stab one, and shoved another to the ground. The victims were treated by Hatzalah, and the suspect was detained by Shmira until his arrest by the NYPD.
Regional Director at the ADL Scott Richman reacted to the incident, stating, “ADL NY/NJ is horrified by an assault that took place on Saturday, February 8th, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
"Two visibly Orthodox Jewish men were walking home from Sabbath prayers when they were attacked, unprovoked, by a passerby armed with a sharp object. Other community members - also visibly Orthodox - were threatened and verbally harassed by the perpetrator. The two victims both sustained minor injuries.”
'Hate crimes'
“ADL’s Brooklyn office is monitoring the situation and is in communication with local community leaders in Crown Heights, as well as law enforcement who investigated this as a hate crime and made an arrest,” Richman continued. “We have offered resources and support to the victims and the community impacted by this attack and we encourage all to speak out against this.”
Two days later, on February 10, the Crown Heights Shomrim Patrol posted on Instagram that a Jewish man was attacked that morning on Kingston Avenue in the center of Crown Heights. A photo of the perpetrator was published the following day by Crown Heights Shmira.