New York, NY, October 8, 2014 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned the assault of a Jewish community leader who was attacked in Brooklyn outside of the Barclay’s Center on Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn on October 7.

According to reports, Leonard Petlakh, Executive Director of the Kings Bay YM-YWHA, who was leaving a pre-season NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and the visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club from Israel, was attacked by an anti-Israel protestor who struck him in the face. Mr. Petlakh subsequently required hospitalization.

“It is troubling that a ‘feel-good’ basketball game, with the goal of connecting the NBA to an Israeli professional sports team, resulted in such a horrific incident in which an individual attending the event was allegedly the target of hate at the hands of an anti-Israel protestor upon his exit,” said Evan R. Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director. “If this heinous attack was in fact motivated by anti-Semitism, we are confident that NYPD will thoroughly investigate this as a potential hate crime and punish the perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to ADL’s annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, New York City experienced 133 incidents in 2013 including acts of assault, harassment and vandalism.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.  Follow us on Twitter: @ADL_NY