NEW YORK – New York Jewish leaders are expected to gather outside the Brooklyn Criminal Courthouse on Wednesday morning to demand action for the Jewish community, which continues to be the target of a growing number of hate crimes.
During the rally, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s prosecution of Suleiman Othman will take place inside the courthouse. Othman, a Staten Island resident, violently assaulted Blake Zavadsky, a Jewish man wearing an IDF sweatshirt, in Brooklyn in December 2021.
"The numbers are skyrocketing": Antisemitism in New York on the rise
Former New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind, New York Councilwoman Inna Vernikov and members of the international grassroots movement #EndJewHatred are among the expected attendees.
"Today there are no consequences for those who commit acts of hate against the Jewish people," Hikind told The Jerusalem Post. "The numbers are skyrocketing to a level never seen before. We are demanding that district attorneys and judges dispense justice for the victims."
"We are demanding that district attorneys and judges dispense justice for the victims."
Former New York assemblyman Dov Hikind
Rallygoers are also slated to condemn the recent plea deal offered by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to an antisemite who participated in a gang attack on a Jewish man near Times Square in May 2021.
In November 2022 alone, antisemitic hate crimes across New York City's five boroughs more than doubled from a year prior, New York Police Department data revealed, resulting in a 125% increase.