‘Terror’ stab attack at home of rabbi
New York Governor calls it ‘terrorism’
WORLD: New York governor Andrew Cuomo has described a stabbing in a rabbi’s home that left five people injured as an act of domestic terrorism.
The stabbings, north of New York City, on the seventh night of Hanukkah, came on the heels of a string of attacks targeting Jews in the region, including a massacre at a kosher grocery.
NEW YORK governor Andrew Cuomo has described a stabbing in a rabbi’s home that left five people injured as an act of domestic terrorism.
The Saturday night stabbings, north of New York City, on the seventh night of Hanukkah, came on the heels of a string of attacks targeting Jews in the region, including a massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey earlier this month.
The rabbi’s home is in Monsey, a town near the New Jersey state line and one of several in the Hudson Valley that has seen an influx of Hasidic Jews in recent years.
One person was seriously wounded and remained in a critical condition. The rabbi’s son was also injured but his condition and that of the other victims was not clear.
The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council for the Hudson Valley region said the stabbings took place at the house of a Hasidic rabbi during a Hanukkah celebration.
According to public records, the home belongs to Rabbi Chaim
Rottenberg, who leads the adjacent synagogue.
Aron Kohn told The New York Times he was inside the residence during the stabbings.
“I was praying for my life,” said Mr Kohn, 65. “He started attacking people right away as soon as he came in the door. We didn’t have time to react at all.”
Authorities have not provided a motive for the attack, but Mr Cuomo said there was no doubt it was fuelled by hate.
“This is an intolerant time in our country. We see anger, we see hatred exploding. It is an American cancer on the body politic.”
Mr Cuomo, who called the stabbings a “cowardly act,” directed the New York State Police hate crimes task force to investigate.
“Let me be clear: anti-Semitism and bigotry of any kind are repugnant to our values of inclusion and diversity and we have absolutely zero tolerance for such acts of hate,” he said in a statement.
Police chief Brad Weidel said police had located a vehicle and a possible suspect sought in connection with the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Israel unequivocally condemns the recent expressions of anti-Semitism and the vicious attack in the middle of Hanukkah on the rabbi’s house. We send our wishes of recovery to the wounded. We will cooperate in every way with the local authorities in order to defeat this phenomenon. We offer our help to each and every state.”