Eric Zafra-Grosso, 32, of Queens, N.Y., is being charged with two hate crimes for allegedly punching a rabbi after making antisemitic remarks on Jan. 27 in Forest Hills, Queens, the New York City Police Department told JNS.
According to the NYPD, officers responded at just before 3 p.m. on International Holocaust Remembrance Day to a reported assault at the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue.
A 32-year-old man told officers that “an unknown individual approached him, made antisemitic comments and engaged him in a verbal dispute,” the NYPD told JNS. “The individual then punched the victim to the chest and about the face.”
The victim was treated for minor injuries, and Zafra-Grosso was arrested and charged with two hate crimes—assault and aggravated harassment—and assault causing injury.
Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, said he was “horrified by the antisemitic assault on a rabbi in Forest Hills.”
“On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, New Yorkers were confronted with a painful truth: antisemitism is not a thing of the past,” Mamdani wrote. “It is a present danger that demands action from all of us.”
The mayor added that “there is no place for antisemitism in our city” and that he stands “in solidarity with Jewish New Yorkers” and his administration is “committed to rooting out this hatred.”
Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York, spoke on Wednesday with the assaulted rabbi, who the consul said was on his way to synagogue when he was attacked.
“Anti-Israel policies lead to a rise in antisemitism,” Akunis stated after the meeting. “This is another violent antisemitic attack in New York City. Unfortunately, the number of antisemitic incidents continues to rise.”
“Anti-Israel policies that legitimize and support the BDS movement are dangerous. As we have repeatedly warned, they risk fueling this kind of violence,” Akunis stated. “Elected officials must unequivocally condemn this disturbing trend, adopt policies that combat incitement and ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities across the city.”
Julie Menin, New York City Council speaker, stated that she was “appalled by this horrific antisemitic assault that occurred on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, of all days.”
“This act of violence is yet another example of the deeply disturbing pattern of hateful incidents against our Jewish community,” the Jewish council speaker said. “It’s why the council’s action plan to combat antisemitism is so urgently needed.”
Mark Treyger, CEO of the JCRC-NY, stated that “we cannot become numb to this.”
“We are in the midst of a crisis of escalating violent antisemitism, and confronting it will require an all-hands-on-deck response from every level of government,” he wrote.
Congress members, as well as state and city officials, issued a joint statement, which lawmakers shared widely, condemning the attack, calling it a targeted act of hate and urging New Yorkers to “reject antisemitism and all forms of hatred.”
