A man has been arrested and charged after assaulting a Rabbi and his family in their home as they celebrated Hanukkah. The man stabbed five people in the Orthodox Jewish community at the north end of New York City on Saturday night. The attack is the latest of a string of anti-Semitic attacks against the Jewish community this year, according to officials.
Anti-Semitism Still a Major Issue in New York
The suspect, one Grafton Johnson, pleaded not guilty to the charges – five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. Officials say that the stabbings resulted in no deaths and one individual critically wounded.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denounced the attack by calling it an “act of domestic terrorism.” President Donald Trump addressed the matter on Twitter stating the need to fight against anti-Semitism in America:
The anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York, on the 7th night of Hanukkah last night is horrific. We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2019
The knife attack comes just a few weeks removed from a shooting massacre at a josher grocery store in Jersey City. There was also another attack in Monsey last month where a man was stabbed on his way to synagogue.
Jewish citizens have been the target of a number of attacks in the last 14 months, including shootings in a San Diego synagogue and a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Johnathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, has called for greater protections for the Jewish community.
“We are calling for increased protection for the Jewish community now and for those in positions of power and leadership to guarantee that the full force of the law is brought down on those who perpetrate these horrific crimes,” he said in a statement.
-Johnathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League
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