New York City Jewish leaders are calling for hate crime charges against the man accused of stabbing two people on the Upper West Side, while also directing criticism at Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of "fanning the flames of hatred and division."
According to police and sources, Raul Morales allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" during separate attacks on Thursday afternoon. One victim was Asian, and the other was wearing a yarmulke. The incidents occurred near Central Park.
At a press conference Friday, UJA-Federation of New York CEO Eric Goldstein directly addressed Mayor Mamdani. "Mayor Mamdani, stop fanning the flames of hatred and division. The consequences are not abstract," Goldstein stated, as reported by ABC7. "They are playing out on our streets. But make no mistake, we are not going anywhere."
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council, expressed his expectation that the district attorney's office will pursue the case rigorously, irrespective of whether it is ultimately prosecuted as a hate crime. "We expect the district attorney’s office to fully prosecute this to the fullest extent of the law, whether this attack is ultimately prosecuted as a hate crime," Treyger said.
Moshe Grunhaus, identified as one of the victims, is associated with Manhattan Shomrim. He was pictured in an undated photo shared on Facebook with his sister's child.
The attacks occurred on West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Images from the scene show police presence and crime scene tape.
