Rabbi Stabbed with Syringe in NYC Returns to Scene, Vows to Spread Light
A rabbi who was attacked with a syringe in Midtown Manhattan has returned to the scene of the incident, stating his determination to counter hate with positivity.
An ordained rabbi who believes he was targeted because he is "visibly Jewish" returned to Midtown’s Diamond District the day after a woman allegedly stalked and stabbed him with a syringe. He vowed not to be intimidated by hate.
Yosef, 26, a rabbi who asked that his full name not be revealed, told The Post Friday that he was "shaken" but undaunted by the attack. His attacker has not been apprehended.
"We can’t allow hate to stop who we are. We need more light in the world," said Yosef, who traveled by subway into Manhattan on Thursday. He returned to West 47th Street to continue his Jewish outreach, assisting men with the commandment to put on tefillin, a religious item consisting of small black leather boxes containing scrolls with Torah verses.
Yosef has spent four days a week for the past three years conducting outreach in Manhattan’s Diamond District, an area where his father has worked for years.
At approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, video footage shows Yosef, dressed in traditional Orthodox Jewish attire including a black hat, being followed on a busy street. Passersby appeared to ignore his attempts to evade the Russian-speaking woman. Yosef reported feeling a sharp, needle-like prick in his lower right back as he neared a grocery store. With his shirt visibly stained with blood, he was transported to Bellevue Hospital.
Yosef believes the unprovoked assault was motivated by antisemitism. "I never met that person before," he stated. "She passes by other people. I’m visibly Jewish."
The New York Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.
Yosef was released from the hospital after about three hours and was determined to return to 47th Street the following day to resume his outreach efforts. "I traveled the country. I never really experienced antisemitism anywhere in America on a personal level," he told The Post. Despite feeling "shaken," Yosef recounted making the decision as he left the hospital: "I’m going back tomorrow."
His return to the area reportedly surprised community members. "They were in shock when I came back," he said of visiting friends on 47th Street just hours after his harrowing experience.
Yosef stated that he draws strength from his grandparents, who were Holocaust survivors. "They went on to build a Jewish home after the Holocaust," he said. "If they could survive, I thought I must go back to spread the light. We can’t be intimidated. We have to be strong."
