Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

‘It’s a terrible tragedy that happened here’ in Brooklyn

A middle-age man allegedly stabs his elderly Jewish parents to death in Borough Park.

Borough Park
A street view in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., on Jan. 1, 2014. Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash 90.

An elderly Jewish couple was stabbed to death—allegedly by a “disturbed” son—in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jacob and Rachel Sperber, both 75, were killed at 5:20 p.m. on Shabbat in their home, the New York Post reported. Their 46-year-old son is being held as a person of interest, though police haven’t charged him.

“He has been described by locals as a ‘weird,’ ‘awkward’ and having ‘issues,’ while his parents were said to have been ‘very nice’ and ‘quiet’ and beloved in the community,” according to the Post. The accused killer barricaded himself in the apartment after the stabbing, before he was taken out on a stretcher.

Published pictures of the victims suggest that they are Chassidim.

“We all feel that it’s a terrible tragedy that happened here. No words to describe. Very painful,” a neighbor told CBS News.

“There is no cause in the world that’s served by scaring children,” stated Rep. Jared Moskowitz. “If your grievance leads you to a K-12 school, you’re the problem.”
“One year later, it’s remarkable how much has changed. The situation is far from perfect, but the progress is real, and the world is better for it.”
A 28-year-old Turkish Muslim student who became a vocal defender of Israel after the Oct. 7 attack has been granted asylum in the Jewish state.
Eight of nine parties represented opposed Palestinian statehood, while opposition parties split over their choice for prime minister.