The murder of a Jewish baker who also served as a rabbi continues to be an open case, more than a month after he was discovered shot near a lake in a Queens park.
Albert Itzkowitz, 75, was fatally shot in broad daylight at Lake Kissena on May 18, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. His body was found just before 5 p.m., leaving his family grappling with unanswered questions.
NYPD officials are looking into various possible motives, including the unsettling possibility that Itzkowitz was targeted in an anti-Semitic attack, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
“He had no enemies. Make sure you write that down,” his grief-stricken son, Moshe Orbaum, remarked shortly after the incident.
Investigators have pieced together Itzkowitz’s seemingly ordinary last hours, culminating in a tragic confrontation with an unknown shooter. He left his home in Kew Gardens Hills around 6:15 a.m. and spent two hours at a synagogue. At 9 a.m., he made a bank withdrawal before returning home briefly before venturing out again around 11 a.m. to visit a Walgreens.
Surveillance footage captured his car nearing Kissena Park, a serene place he often went during lunch breaks, just before 11:30 a.m. Itzkowitz was reportedly in the park sunbathing, dressed casually and enjoying a crossword puzzle when he was last seen alive.
What occurred between that moment and the discovery of his body only hours later is still unclear.
While authorities lack a solid motive or suspects, their inquiries about potential enemies left his family bewildered. “When the police asked us if he had any foes or trouble with neighbors, we were grieving, but it also felt absurd,” his son shared. “He was such a kind person. It’s hard to believe anyone would have issues with him.”
Itzkowitz operated G&I Kosher Bakery, a local business he ran for many years before shutting down. He was also an active volunteer EMT. His daughter, Leah Libschitz, emphasized his deep commitment to family, notably following the recent passing of his wife just weeks before his own tragic death.
Recently, his family gathered in a park alongside local officials to announce a reward amid concerns that Itzkowitz may have been targeted for anti-Semitic reasons. “My dad was clearly Jewish,” Libschitz expressed with deep emotion.
However, police have indicated that Itzkowitz was found in clothing without any overt religious identifiers, a detail that complicates the narrative.
Authorities are not categorizing the incident as a hate crime at this moment, but they haven’t dismissed that possibility entirely. They are still actively seeking more information.
Itzkowitz’s youngest son, Tzvi Yonny Itzkowitz, mentioned that the family is offering a $10,000 reward through Crime Stoppers, which brings the total reward to $20,000. “There were potentially 200 or 300 people in the park that day,” he noted. “We’re urging anyone who might have seen anything to come forward.”
