A rabbi was assaulted in New York City on Tuesday, an incident that coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day and was described by local officials as a “targeted act of hate.”
The attack took place shortly before 3 p.m. at an intersection in Queens’ Forest Hills neighborhood, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police officers arrived to find a 32-year-old man, later identified as a rabbi by community leaders, who had been confronted by an unknown assailant making antisemitic remarks. The confrontation escalated into a physical altercation in which the attacker punched the rabbi in the chest and face. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene, while police apprehended the suspect.
The suspect was identified as Eric Zafra-Grosso, also 32 and a resident of Queens. He is facing several charges, including hate crime assault, hate crime aggravated harassment, and assault causing injury.
A photo shows an NYPD cruiser at a closed Midtown street due to construction, dated November 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa, File)
In response to the attack, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, New York State Senators Joseph Addabbo Jr. and Leroy Comrie Jr., New York State Assembly Members Andrew Hevesi and Sam Berger, along with New York City Council Member Lynn Schulman, issued a joint statement condemning the violence.
“We are outraged by the antisemitic attack that occurred in our district, in which a Rabbi was verbally harassed, physically assaulted, and threatened for being Jewish,” the statement said. “This was a targeted act of hate, and it has no place in our community or anywhere in New York City.”
“No one should ever fear for their safety because of their religion, identity, or beliefs,” the lawmakers said in the statement. “The rise in antisemitic incidents across our city and country is deeply concerning, and this attack — occurring on Holocaust Remembrance Day — underscores the urgent responsibility we all share to confront hate before it escalates into violence.”
Local officials noted a rise in antisemitic incidents in the city. (iStock)
According to public data from the NYPD, there have been 22 reported hate crimes in New York City from the start of the year through Jan. 25.
Antisemitic incidents comprised 62% of all hate crimes in the city during the first quarter of 2025, according to a report released last month by former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“I was disgusted to learn of yet another antisemitic attack in New York City, this time on a rabbi in Queens during International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., posted on X Wednesday morning. “As we commemorate the 6 million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, we must recognize that antisemitism is still alive and on the rise today. It is imperative we do everything in our power to combat these rancid acts of antisemitism and hate in all its forms.”
Schumer added that he is “grateful” the rabbi is okay and thanked the NYPD.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted that he was “horrified” by the attack.
“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,” Mamdani said. “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.”
