At least 5 people have been stabbed after a black male entered Rabbi Rottenburg’s Shul, located in the Forshay neighborhood in Monsey, New York, and pulled out a machete. Notably, today is the last day of Hannukah.
As VosIzNeias.com reports, the alleged assailant pulled off the cover and stabbed at least 5 people. One of the victims was stabbed in the chest. Two of the victims of the attack were taken into hospital as critical.
One of the victims was stabbed at least 6 times.
The fifth/least severe case had a cut in his hand.
The perpetrator then ran out and escaped in a vehicle. His plates were spotted before he left (HPT-5757 per the person who saw it and we confirmed it with him directly - a Gray Nissan Sentra), and the police are currently searching for him.
Videos of the stabbing attack began disseminating on social media.
Mark Kennedy 🇺🇸 @RealMarkKennedy
Horrifying!!! #nycstabbing
(Cell Phone Video at source)
Motti Seligson @mottiseligson · 3h
Reports of a stabbing attack at a synagogue in Monsey, NY. Multiple victims.
Motti Seligson @mottiseligson
Video from the scene of the stabbings at a synagogue in Monsey where Chassidim were gathered for a Hanukkah celebration. (Another video at source)
The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council said five people, all Hasidic, were transported to local hospitals with stab wounds.
OJPAC Hudson Valley @OJPACHV
At 9:50 this eve, a call came in about a mass stabbing at 47 Forshay Road in Monsey (Rockland County; 30 miles North of NYC). It's the house of a Hasidic Rabbi. 5 patients with stab wounds, all Hasidic, were transported to local hospitals.
OJPAC also noted that "the perp's face was partially covered with a scarf but skin showed him to be an African American."
New York Attorney General Letitia James tweeted support for the Jewish community shortly after the reported attack.
"There is zero tolerance for acts of hate of any kind and we will continue to monitor this horrific situation," the tweet read in part.
"We are closely monitoring the reports of multiple people stabbed at a synagogue in Monsey, NY (Rockland County)," a representative of the New York City Police Department Counterterrorism Bureau tweeted.
Hatzalah emergency response team is on scene and victims have been transferred to the hospital.
As JPost.com notes, this is the second stabbing attack in Monsey in the last two months.
In November, a man jumped out of his car in stabbed a father on his way to synagogue, gauging his eye.
In the last week, a spate of antisemitic crimes has swept the city.
Poster Comment:
Monsey (/ÈmŒnsi/) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Airmont; east of Viola; south of New Hempstead; and west of Spring Valley. The village of Kaser is completely surrounded by the hamlet of Monsey. The 2010 census listed the population at 18,412.
The hamlet has a large community of Orthodox Jews, consisting predominantly of Hasidim, including Vizhnitz Hasidim, who reside mostly in the village of Kaser.[2]
In the 1950s, Monsey was a one stoplight town with a single yeshiva. By 1997, Monsey had 112 synagogues and 45 yeshivas.[3]
The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.8% White, 3.0% African American, 0.03% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.86% of the population. 43.98% speak English at home, 41.48% Yiddish, 6.88% Hebrew, 2.69% French or a French creole, 1.85% Spanish, and 1.24% Russian.[7]
The per capita income for the CDP was $14,000. About 25.4% of families and 30.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.8% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.