Victim Of Brooklyn Anti-Semitic Hate Crime Attack Shares His Story
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The victim of an anti-Semitic hate crime in Brooklyn shared his story with CBS New York, detailing the day he was beaten by four men earlier this month.
The 42-year-old, who is Jewish and declined to be named, said he was walking down the street in the Williamsburg neighborhood on May 4 when four men approached and punched him in the face. The attackers yelled, “We hate Jews,” the man told CBS.
“One terrible punch, like full of power, like a lot of power in one punch,” he said. “Terrible pain on the teeth and on the eyes.”
When one of the attackers allegedly yelled to the others, “He’s not down,” the victim said he started to “fight and scream for help.”
Two bystanders ran with him to the police, who are still trying to identify the attackers. The victim said his face was still bruised a week later.
Another attack on a Jewish man took place in the same area three days later. A video showed the victim being punched in the head from behind. Investigators are also still searching for the suspect, and the Anti-Defamation League is offering a $5,000 reward for information. Both cases are being treated as hate crimes. Attacks on Jews in heavily-Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn have been rising in the last few years.
Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
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