Five Jews have been stabbed at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, according to multiple witness reports.
Witnesses say one black man, with his face covered by a ski mask, entered the home with a machete and began stabbing people, with at least one now in critical condition. The perpetrator then fled in a vehicle possibly being driven by an accomplice. Some witnesses said that, after being chased from the home, the attacker tried entering a shul but it was locked.
Reports state that all shuls and public spaces frequented by Jews, including Evergreen Supermarket have been placed on lockdown until the perpetrator is caught. Chaveirim is urging everyone to remain inside with their doors locked until the situation is resolved.
The motive remains unclear, but the incident comes just two weeks after several Jews were killed in an anti-Semitic shooting attack in Jersey City.
Names for Tehillim are said at this time to be Naftali Tzvi ben Gila, Yosef ben Perel, Chaim ben Vittel and Shlomo ben Vittel.
Jim Keady, running for the NJ-4 Congressional seat, which includes Lakewood, tweeted that the horror in Monsey has him concerned for the large Jewish population in Lakewood. “We must do all that we can to stand in solidarity with our Jewish sisters and brothers and help ease their fears,” wrote Keady.
Multiple officials, including the Attorneys General of New York and New Jersey have weighed in. NY AG Letitia James wrote on Twitter, “There is zero tolerance for acts of hate of any kind and we will continue to monitor this horrific situation.” NJ AG Gurbir Grewal wrote “Hanukkah should be a time of celebration. A rabbi’s home should be a place of sanctuary. This violence must end.”
UPDATE: The NYPD has arrested the perpetrator after spotting his car just off the George Washington Bridge.
UPDATE: [12:22 AM] 5 patients were transported to Westchester Medical Center, one in critical condition.
UPDATE: The suspect has been identified as Thomas Grafton, 37. He has been charged with 5 counts of attempted murder and 1 count of burglary.
UPDATE: The suspect was reportedly masked when he walked in to the party – near the Shul. https://t.co/CDiDl49plC
— The Lakewood Scoop (@LakewoodScoop) December 29, 2019
UPDATE: One reportedly in serious condition. Others stable.
Suspect, a black male, reportedly walked into a Chanukah party at a Shul with a machete and began stabbing people. https://t.co/SscrbpK6Qu
— The Lakewood Scoop (@LakewoodScoop) December 29, 2019
Time to change our stupid gun laws. Every one should carry a firearm. This would not have happened. R”S to all the victims
Expect if everyone had guns so would the assailant.
The assailants can get whatever weapons they want on the black market. Laws didn’t stop the Jersey City assailants.
While these perps who commit these horrible crimes are scum and should be given the death penalty, the recent trend of highlighting all anti semitism and taking on people who oppose you with lawsuits is pouring gas on a fire.
Jews used to live below the radar and thats how Galus is supposed to be, there will always be antisemites but its just incumbent on us to be nicer and not use every right in our disposal to win them and anger them, which in most cases is short term gain vs long term pain
while you may excercise your “RIGHTS” and win your zoning fights in court, you cant win against bullets C”V.
Eisav Sonei Es Yaakov! so beware and dont fan the flames.
(of course this goes against the Shitah of the ADL and the developers in all jewish towns)
What do we do when being nice to them does not help? True, Eisav sonai es Yaakov. Letting them get away with it is NOT the answer. Will it help to say that we were nice and did not bring lawsuits and attention to the problems when it is a member of YOUR family that was hurt by these acts? Will it help to say that we weren’t nice enough when these horrific acts embolden people who are in a position to really harm us do so since there are no consequences to their actions? We have to do our hishtadlus to prevent these actions from continuing, both through looking at our own deeds and being proactive to prevent it from escalating. If you truly think that “being nice” will stop this growing trend, then I have a bridge to sell you.
WE HAVE TO REALIZE WERE IN GOLUS NOTHING IS GOING TO HELP BUT TO DAVEN AND BE MEKABEL SOMETHING
couldn’t agree with zevy more. 100% everything he said
Hashem Yirachem! Ad Masai!
enough is enough time to get guns
I agree with Zevy’s point.
Would like to add that we have a mesorah of thousands of years of how to deal with Anti Semites that are stronger than us. It does not include highlighting anti Semitic statements said behind closed doors, suing and pressuring politicians to make statements.
HINT: Parshas Vayishlach
On a similar note to what Zevy mentioned, they say over in the name of Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky, that he asked the members of his Shul not to wear their Talis on top of their clothing outside
I agree with zevy’s comment however I don’t agree that we have to just sit here and watch people getting stabbed or shot etc r”l every few days… we can try to take action… may we be zoche to mashiach BIMHEIRA BYAMEINU AMEN!!!
Is this ; the Monsey scoop ?
Slow news day?
Zevy: As far as we know this has nothing to do with any lawsuit at all. Neither was the African American shooting in Jersey city. Lawsuits are sometimes the correct way to deal with antisemitic discrimination & if Agudas Yisroel has joined these issues I assume they asked their gedolim first. We are dealing with the fact that our community borders on a very large innercity population being fed antisemitic lies by their leaders & media. Violence is very common among this community & sadly at this time we are being a victim of this hate. It’s quite foolish to blame the congregants of a Shul in Monsey for the violent behavior of two African Americans living in Orangeburg.
Hashem loves us. He tries to get the message across by showing us an open miracle how a child can get run over by a bus and be perfectly fine. But we dont get the hint. Then hashem gives us a little potch. Perhaps we should make changes in our life that actually hurt. Like cutting down on our gashmius, vacations, entertainment. Enforcing our tznius, davening sedorim…. hashem yishmor!
HaShem is sending us message after message we are all unfortunately listening to our yetzer hara that is whispering jf to us -it’s not the sheitls, tight / short clothing/internet/ mixed parties, lashon hara….. to name a few we all know what needs to be fixed for ourselves. Let’s all just stand up to that Yetzer hara & say enough is enough, we want to do the ratzon HaShem & let us daven & beg HaShem to give us the strength to stand up to that yetzer hara One last time and may we all be zoche to greet משיח במהרה בימנו!
Please dont act like a shaygetz. First things first.
Hashem YIsborach has stirred up this pot. The more we ignore His hand in this, the worse it could get (chas vi shalom). Its time we look inward and start fixing things. Are all children in school? Are our shuls quiet and wlcoming to all, are we nosain biol chavero? Is learning a priority or are we just satisfied with the daf (ie could we do more?). Are we nice to each other, etc..
So basically according to Zevy we should just lay down and be stepped on?
It’s not a mitzva to be a pushover. These things happen because they know they can get away with it. Also if someone breaking the law we don’t have a right to use the laws of the country just like everyone else? The courts are there for a reason but according to you we can’t use them because we’re in Gauls and we are less deserving then anyone else. You couldn’t be more wrong it’s shameful that you even think like this. Stop apologizing for being Jewish and stop blaming the victims.
I would like to publicly thank the NYPB and all other law enforcement agencies involved, in the quick response in apprehending the suspect!!!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Did not pursuing our legal rights help in Europe? As far as Reb Yaakov zt”l saying not to wear the tallis in the street, that may be helpful for the non-chasidish people, however the chasidim who wear a streimel, bekishe and vaysa zocken will be in their face anyway and I never heard that Rav Yaakov zt”l held that they should change their garb
The Torah says if someone wants to kill you, get up and kill them first. The halacha tells us to watch over our families and community- every shul should have a serious meeting on what measures they need to take to keep themselves safe.
The motive is not “unclear”
I’m praying for for all who suffer these tragedies. Agree with Zevy but also agree that it is your constitutional right to defend yourselves. However open carry is illegal in NJ. Maybe have armed security but how tragic to need this in a place of worship or anywhere for that matter. I pray it doesn’t escalate to gun battles. I pray for unity, love, tolerance and understanding.
Public officials don’t stop with their “statements”. But, apparently it’s not working. It’s time for us to start carrying concealed handguns to ward off these haters.
I’m not sure what this argument is all about. Yes, there’s a halacha that eisav sonei l’yaakov, but at the same time we were given clear guidance on how to deal with it. Yaakov avinu taught us to use tefilla, matanah, and yes, milchama!! So true, we need to daven, we need to be nice, but at the same time we need to fight this scourge too!!
Yaakov Avinu laid down the ground rules for interactions with Esav and his descendants: Tefilah, Doron u Milchamah. He was successful using Tefillah and Doron. Milchamah was a last resort. All through the ages, Klal Yisrael beseeched H-ashem “Hazileini miyad achi miyad Esav”. Save us when he shows brotherly, save us when he shows his true colors. The Doron aspect was also a very potent means of gaining protection and leveling the playing ground in all diasporas. We rarely see the militant aspect, and sadly, in recent history, when the Yidden tried Milchamah as a last resort in the Warsaw ghetto, they were liquidated, albeit at a high cost to the enemy. So the maskana is Daven consistently and fervently, and grease the wheels of the Malchus V’Sareiha and be nice to the plebians of all creeds.
Please don’t bring proof from the Warsaw ghetto.
The Holocaust was something totally unusual. We don’t understand the Holocaust. Only the Almighty can explain to us the reasoning of the Holocaust.
We truly and honestly can not use the Holocaust as proof to nowadays.
To all the comments about arming and defending ourselves, in all of history jews didnt defend ourselves not by the inquisition or the crusades nor by Tach Vtat neither by any pogrom. The only great uprising when jews defended themselves was the Warsaw Ghetto which ended in great failure.
History and Hashkafah aside, we need to be smart and treat the symptom of whats infuriating the hate and stirring the fire before it comes to the need of defending ourselves.
Dont wave a red flag infront of a bull.
we can exercise all our rights and have our neighbors hate us, but that will just get all the Sickos more and more upset.
Yes we are in Galus and we need to be smart and not use all our rights, we need to live a bit under the radar and go the extra step of lifnim mishuras hadin.
Calling out anti semites for their hatred, while necessary, will never solve the problem, there are way too many uneducated immoral hateful sickos out there to make a difference.
it seems like some people seem to be taking a page out of Al Sharpton’s Ym”s playbook of calling out racist and playing victim, it hasnt stopped the hatred for African Americans and it wont stop the hatred to Jews.
when people hate you be more careful not to give them reasons to hate you, dont pour gasoline on a fire!
As the chinese saying goes, be smart dont be right.
Oy Bashefer please send Mashiach now
While there is no Torah directive to stick out ones neck and not try to resist someone with a knife chasing, chalilah.
But the Torah says (and common sense too) – suing wont lower the haters hate, we have employed other tactics over thousands of years, dealing with more hateful and brutal haters, and we are still around because we followed the Torah directives and not acted rashly and impulsively or followed the godless Torahless ADL
someone was quoted as saying that he feels now as afraid as he did when he was a child in the streets of poland. i know that people are afraid to let their kids play on the street.
the only thing Hashem wants from us right now is unity. No blaming what you can work on. It won’t work. Pray for your fellow like he’s your brother. The more we segregate the more is inflicted upon us r”l. #UNITY=GEULA
zevy is right
btw if you ask any gadol batorah, he will tell exactly what Zevy said
it needs to be explained a bit more, but that is the accepted das torah approach
I agree with most of what Zevy says.
However, I don’t agree with Rav Kamentzky zt”l saying to hide who you are. This isn’t about looks, it’s about actions. And the worst part is more and more people are against the overcrowding but still it happens, and the attacks will continue. We must find a way to make peace.
He did not say to hide who you are.
You can wear a coat over your Tallis and the Tzitzis will be sticking out under your coat and that is okay. Reb Yaakov ZT”L wanted that we should
act and behave similar to a guest.
To 1028am not true , There was a Chassidishe Rebbe in Europe who told his people to arm themselves and fight the Nazi invadors , His reasoning was as it would be a Chilul H… for Goyim to think that Yidden are Hefker and can just be killed easily without putting up a Fight
So as I wrote in an earlier comment (that wasn’t posted for Wtvr reason) it has been reported that this attempted murderer just recently converted to the “pereh adam” religion. There you go.
We know every bullet has a target, but what did this rasha have with rottenberg shul? He just drove into ramapo and chose an address at random????
Stop the talking in Shul, be marebe in kedusha, and read all the gemoros that talk about how to be protected from chevlei moshiach.