Rabbi Assaulted in Queens in Antisemitic Attack on Holocaust Remembrance Day

A rabbi was verbally and physically assaulted yesterday in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens in what authorities are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime, according to city officials. The incident occurred on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The identity of the rabbi has not been released.

According to statements from officials and community groups, the rabbi was approached on the street without provocation, subjected to antisemitic slurs, punched in the face, and thrown to the ground. Witnesses said the attacker also made threatening gestures before fleeing. New York City Comptroller Mark Levine said the attacker approached the rabbi, called him an expletive term, and punched him during the assault. The victim did not suffer serious injuries and did not require medical treatment.

Queens Shomrim said it received a report of the assault at approximately 2:30 p.m. Volunteers responded immediately, conducted searches in the area, and located the suspect at a nearby train station. The New York City Police Department was notified and arrested the suspect. Charges are pending.

“We are here for our community — that’s what we do,” Queens Shomrim said in a statement, emphasizing its continued cooperation with law enforcement to protect Jewish residents.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the antisemitic assault, noting that it occurred on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, New Yorkers were confronted with a painful truth: antisemitism is not a thing of the past-it is a present danger that demands action from all of us. There is no place for antisemitism in our city. I stand in solidarity with Jewish New Yorkers and my administration is committed to rooting out this hatred,” Mamdani said.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin said she was appalled by the attack, calling it part of a deeply disturbing pattern. “This act of violence is yet another example of the deeply disturbing pattern of hateful incidents against our Jewish community,” Menin said, adding that it underscores the urgency of the City Council’s Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism. “No New Yorker should ever be subjected to hatred or violence for who they are or how they worship.”

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo also weighed in, criticizing NY political leadership more broadly. “Enough. The pattern is clear, and it’s getting worse. What happened in Forest Hills today was criminal. Find the perpetrators and prosecute them. When elected officials excuse or elevate antisemitism, they embolden hate. New Yorkers must not tolerate it.”

Queens and state lawmakers, including Council Member Lynn Schulman, Senators Joe Addabbo and Leroy Comrie, and Assemblymembers Andrew Hevesi and Sam Berger, issued a joint statement denouncing the assault as a “targeted act of hate.” The lawmakers said the rise in antisemitic incidents across the city and country is deeply concerning and warned that the attack’s timing underscores the need to confront hatred before it escalates into further violence.

Data from the NYPD shows that Jews are targeted in hate crimes in New York City more than all other groups combined. Last month, Jewish victims accounted for 62% of all reported hate crimes, with nearly one suspected antisemitic incident reported per day on average. Jewish security officials have said many incidents are likely never reported.

Recent cases include swastikas sprayed on the Magen David Yeshiva in Brooklyn on election day, antisemitic graffiti found in the Cobble Hill neighborhood, and the arrest of two teenagers accused of spray-painting dozens of swastikas at a Brooklyn playground frequented by Jewish children.

Police said the investigation into the Forest Hills assault is ongoing. Officials called on New Yorkers to reject antisemitism and stand united in defense of the safety and dignity of all communities.