New York, NY, June 22, 2015 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed horror over an anti-Semitic assault on Staten Island by three local teenagers who allegedly threw a rock and hurled anti-Jewish insults at the victim as he approached a bus stop near Harold Street and Washington Avenue in Staten Island on June 21.
According to reports, the assailants mocked the victim for wearing a yarmulke and threatened to both beat up and kill him. Police responded to a 9-1-1 call from the victim and arrested all three perpetrators. One of the assailants was charged with aggravated harassment as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon.
Evan R. Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director, issued the following statement:
If the reports are accurate, this incident is terribly disturbing because it was clearly motivated by anti-Semitic animus, and particularly troubling due to the young age of the assailants.
Members of the Staten Island Jewish community – as well as members of the borough’s community at large – should never have to fear walking in their own neighborhood. Such a horrific assault leaves an immensely searing impact, and we call on community and religious leaders, elected officials and public figures in the wake of this appalling incident to make clear that there is absolutely no room for attacks on any member of the community because of their faith.
We commend NYPD – whose response to anti-Semitic incidents across the city has been exemplary – for their quick response to this troubling incident and for the arrest of the alleged attackers.
According to the ADL’s Annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, which tracks both criminal and non-criminal acts of anti-Semitism, the borough of Staten Island suffered 14 anti-Semitic incidents in 2014. New York State experienced a 14 percent increase, including 147 acts citywide.
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