A man broke into the house of a Hasidic rabbi during a Hanukkah celebration and stabbed five people, according to several reports. The subject fled.
–
The attack happened shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday at the 47 Forshay Road house in Monsey, in Rockland County, according to the Jewish Orthodox Public Affairs Council (OJPAC).
–
All victims were taken to the hospital in critical conditions, officials said.
–
Some reports indicate that the knife was the size of a broom.
–
Monsey is an area with a large population of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who recently migrated to the New York City area.
–
Between 50 and 60 people were inside the synagogue, which is connected to the rabbi’s home, at the time of the attack, according to some reports. Apparently, the subject tried to enter the center of worship, but the assistants closed the doors when they heard screams leaving the home.
–
The subject, who escaped, was captured by the authorities shortly after midnight. His identity has not been revealed, but it is believed to be linked to another stabbing in Harlem, located about 30 miles from town.
–
The attack was the most recent in a series of attacks against the Jewish population of the tri-state area. Last week, the NYPD increased patrols in three neighborhoods in Brooklyn after authorities pointed to an “alarming” increase in hate incidents against the Jewish community.
–
“I am horrified by the stabbing of several people in a synagogue in Rockland County tonight – the last of a series of attacks against members of the Jewish community in New York this week. On behalf of the New York family, my heart He is with the victims and I pray for his full recovery, “the governor said a statement. “Let me be clear: anti-Semitism and intolerance of any kind disgust our values of inclusion and diversity and we have zero tolerance for such acts of hate. In New York we will always stand up and say with one voice to everyone who wishes divide and spread fear: they do not represent New York and their actions will not go unpunished. “
–
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the attack on Twitter.
—
