The woman injured during Friday night’s attack at a prominent New York City synagogue is responding with defiance, saying the violence will not dim the community’s spirit.
“I am the woman who was assaulted last night at Central Synagogue. You will not punch out our Jewish light. You will not stand and cause harm to our eternal light,” Michele Anenberg-Poma wrote Saturday on Instagram, sharing an image that showed her bloodied split lip and a cut on her right forearm.
In the post, Anenberg-Poma said the congregation would keep lifting its voice in prayer, writing that members would “continue to sing our prayers of peace, love, and joy” while safeguarding those who lead worship each week.
She also praised the Upper East Side house of worship as a place meant for everyone, calling Central Synagogue “a light, a light truly for all.”
Anenberg-Poma, 63, was allegedly struck by 46-year-old Larry Montes, who police sources said yelled “F–k the Jews” during the disturbing incident at the high-profile Manhattan synagogue.
Livestream video from the Friday evening Shabbat service, later circulated on social media, captured a chaotic scene shortly after prayers began at 6 p.m., with the man shouting wildly near the front of the sanctuary.
When a 65-year-old security guard attempted to step in, Montes allegedly headbutted and spat on him, according to authorities. He is also accused of smashing two religious candles worth an estimated $20,000.
Montes, who is from the Bronx, was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime. At his arraignment late Saturday, a judge ordered him held on $10,000 bail.
Friends described Anenberg-Poma as having “the biggest heart,” someone who’s gone “above and beyond” to support children’s causes.
Expressions of support poured in for Anenberg-Poma, a former Disney creative marketing executive whose LinkedIn profile revealed she was a “Hillary for America” volunteer and active with the Lower East Side Girls Club.
“I am heartbroken that this happened to you,” wrote a supporter who thanked the victim for speaking up. “After an antisemitic attack, you have every right to isolate and lick your wounds. Instead, you are coming forward as a light for the Jewish community. Many non-Jews stand with you, myself included.”
Another supporter wrote, “Thank you for reminding us of the light, no matter what they try to do.”
The plucky victim is an ardent supporter of Israel who ironically railed against the evils of antisemitism in January to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Anenberg-Poma posted a video blasting “the evil of radicalized, proliferated antisemitism that is present at every turn. We must stand up for all freedom-loving people.”
