A man was been charged on Sunday with a hate crime in connection to the beating of an Orthodox Jewish man in Brooklyn, NBC New York reported.

Police said they found Farrukh Afzal of Staten Island beating 62-year-old Lipa Schwartz in the Boro Park neighborhood. Afzal was arrested and charged with assault as a hate crime, criminal mischief and harassment, NBC reported.

Schwartz was walking to synagogue when Afzal stopped his car, ran toward him and started to beat him, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Schwartz said that his attacker spoke another language, but he recognized “Allah” and “Israel,” NBC reported. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition with cuts, pain and bruises to his head.

A second Orthodox man tried to help Schwartz, according to the ADL, but Afzal allegedly chased him down the street.

The ADL put out a statement Sunday, expressing concern over the recent string of attacks on the Brooklyn Orthodox community.

“We are deeply disturbed by and unequivocally condemn this horrific attack, and thank the New York City Police Department and its Hate Crimes Task Force for taking swift action in this case and for investigating a bias motive,” said Evan Bernstein, ADL’s New York and New Jersey regional director. “Brooklyn is a community of great diversity, and incidents like these can damage the fabric of our society and fragment communities. We will continue to offer our support in responding to hate, so that New York City remains safe and inclusive for all.”

The organization found that there have been 11 anti-Semitic assaults in New York so far in 2018. Eight have been in Brooklyn.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount