A young man stabbed a Jewish man while shouting “Free Palestine” in Brooklyn, New York, early Saturday morning. The victim is currently being treated and is expected to recover.
Surveillance camera footage captured the moment when a group of five young Jewish men were attacked by an assailant near the Chabad headquarters, after which one of them was stabbed.
Yaacov Behrman, public relations officer for the Chabad movement, said he knew the victim personally and gave a notice on 𝕏.
“I can confirm that a hate-motivated stabbing occurred around 2 a.m. this morning in Crown Heights, near Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, near Chabad headquarters.”
Behrman reported that the attacker asked, “Do you want to die?” before stabbing the man. Residents of the community chased the attacker and were able to detain him until police arrived at the scene.
The young victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover, according to Behrman, “due to the location of the stabbing and the quick response of the paramedics.”
The Chabad representative warned: “This is an extremely serious incident. The victim could have been killed. This act of hateful violence underscores the dangerous impact of the anti-Semitic incitement and hatred being spread by some local politicians and leaders in New York and across the United States.”
New York Police Department Deputy Chief Richie Taylor of the Community Affairs Bureau has announced plans to increase police patrols around Chabad headquarters during the upcoming Jewish holidays in October.
Chabad is a branch of Judaism founded in Russia in 1775. The name “Chabad” is an acronym for Hochma, Bina and Da’at, which mean “wisdom”, “understanding” and “knowledge”.
Many followers of the movement continue to hope for the resurrection of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe who died in New York in 1994. As one of the largest Jewish movements, Chabad operates a global network of over 5,000 educational and social centers. Chabad centers have been the target of numerous anti-Semitic attacks worldwide, including a tragic incident in MumbaiIndia, where seven Jews were killed in 2008.
