GOP AG Candidate Vows State of Emergency on Antisemitism
Saritha Komatireddy pledges immediate action if elected, citing a recent syringe attack and rising hate crimes.
Republican candidate for New York Attorney General Saritha Komatireddy pledged Friday to declare a state of emergency regarding antisemitism on her first day in office, should she be elected. Her announcement came in response to a recent attack in Manhattan's Diamond District where a young rabbi was allegedly stabbed in the back with a syringe.
Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor challenging incumbent Attorney General Letitia James, spoke near the site of the Wednesday incident. "When I am attorney general, I will declare a state of emergency on antisemitism on day one," she stated.
She highlighted that while Jewish New Yorkers constitute about 10-12% of the city's population, they have been victims of over 50% of confirmed hate crimes this year, according to NYPD statistics. "Every Jewish New Yorker is feeling the rise of hate in our city and in our state," Komatireddy said.
The victim, 26-year-old Yousef Krish, was reportedly walking in the Diamond District when a woman speaking Russian began harassing him. Video footage appears to show him attempting to evade her before she followed him and allegedly used a sharp object, like a syringe, to stab him in the back. Krish was hospitalized in stable condition. The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident, but the suspect has not yet been identified or apprehended.
Krish, who recently received his rabbinic ordination, travels from Crown Heights to Midtown to share religious teachings with Jewish merchants. He told Chabad.org that he was still shaken by the attack, noting that his grandparents survived the Holocaust and that he wouldn't back down.
Komatireddy also criticized the current administration's handling of hate crimes, asserting that the Attorney General's Hate Crimes Unit was allegedly not staffed under James. A spokesperson for James denied this, stating the unit is part of the fully staffed Civil Rights Bureau. "I will staff the Hate Crimes Unit, and I will ensure that we prosecute hate crimes and all crime in New York," Komatireddy vowed.
She was joined at the press conference by Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch and Republican state comptroller candidate Joseph Hernandez. Hernandez blamed Mayor Zohran Mamdani's anti-Israel sentiments for fueling hatred. The election is scheduled for November 3rd, with recent polls showing a close race between Komatireddy and James.