Subway Assault on Jewish Men in Brooklyn

This week, a troubling incident unfolded in Brooklyn when a couple of attackers were captured on video making threats against a group of young Jewish men on the subway. One of the assailants even grabbed one of the victims by the chest.

The group, comprising eight teenagers and young adults, was heading home to Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters after attending a Hanukkah celebration in Union Square on Monday night when they encountered the perpetrators, who began shouting slurs at them.

“They yelled at me while my son said, ‘We’re going to kill you,'” recalled Mendy Araf, a 20-year-old yeshiva student visiting from Israel. He mentioned that the attackers looked like a father-son duo.

According to Araf, the vile pair confronted them while they were transferring to the No. 3 train at Franklin Avenue, continuing to yell phrases like “Fuck the Jews.”

The harassment escalated when one of the young men started recording the incident. The footage circulating on social media showed one of the attackers grabbing a victim by the collar, while the other shouted death threats and made a finger gun gesture aimed at his head.

“I was really scared. When he pointed the gun at me, I honestly didn’t know what he had in his pocket,” Araf expressed.

He noted that the group remained silent, feeling a mix of fear and uncertainty, as other subway riders attempted to intervene.

“Chill!” one passenger could be heard anxiously urging in the video, trying to diffuse the situation.

The police received a report about the attack from the victims around 8:41 p.m. Araf explained that they got off at the next stop, Nordstrom Street, and rushed to the nearest police station to file a complaint.

“I thought it could lead to something really dangerous,” he said, highlighting the group’s fear for their safety.

Araf conveyed his belief that they were targeted because of their faith, and police confirmed they were treating the incident as a hate crime.

“We look like devout Jews,” Araf pointed out, noting that they had a menorah with them to celebrate Hanukkah.

Authorities reported that the two unidentified assailants had verbally threatened the victims and grabbed their jackets during the altercation.

While no physical injuries were reported, Araf mentioned that the encounter left him and his companions anxious, especially in light of a recent terrorist attack during a Hanukkah festival in Australia that resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries.

“After Sydney, it’s hard to consider fighting back since you never know what someone might have,” he remarked.

He also shared that his mother had cautioned him about studying in New York, saying, “It’s going to be dangerous, so keep your eyes open.”

Having been in the city for four months for his year-long yeshiva studies, Araf noted he had never faced such overt anti-Semitism before.

“I felt a bit of discrimination before, but nothing at this level,” he admitted.