By Joseph Marshall
Rami Glikstein, a 58 year old Israeli educator and lecturer for the Israel Defense Forces, was assaulted in New York City on Monday evening while visiting with his family. The incident took place around 6:30 p.m. on West 38th Street near the kosher restaurant Mr. Broadway in Midtown Manhattan.
According to reports, Glikstein was walking toward the restaurant when a man approached him, pointed at his kippah, and asked him to identify his religion. When Glikstein attempted to walk away, the man grabbed the kippah from his head, threw it on the ground, spat on it, and then punched him in the face. Bystanders intervened and called police and emergency services. Glikstein was treated for facial injuries and taken to hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
The New York Police Department confirmed that the incident is being investigated as an antisemitic assault. The attacker fled the scene before officers arrived and remains unidentified. Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, spoke with Glikstein following the incident and condemned the attack, calling it a direct result of rising incitement against Jews and Israelis around the world.
The attack occurred during a period of heightened antisemitic violence in New York City, where reports of hate crimes have been increasing throughout the year. The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is leading the investigation.
Picture: YnetNews
