Brooklyn, NYC, NY – Joshua Merenfeld, a Jewish man was attacked on a Brooklyn street by a bigot who beat and robbed him and derided him as a “dirty Jew” on the first day of Hanukkah, police said Friday.
The assailant repeatedly punched the 40-year-old victim in the face at 7:35 p.m. Thursday on Eastern Parkway near Albany Ave. in Crown Heights, according to cops.
The attacker got away and is being sought, with police releasing surveillance photos of him to the media.
Joshua Merenfeld was taken to Mount Sinai Beth Israel in stable condition following the Thursday night assault in Crown Heights.
Police said the Jewish victim, dressed in religious garb, stepped outside a private home and was about to light up a cigarette when the attacker, who had been milling about, confronted him.
After the attack, the suspect ran off with the victim’s cell phone and was last seen entering the subway station less than two blocks away at Eastern Parkway and Kingston Ave.
The latest antisemitic incident comes amid a surge that started with the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas in Israel.
Last month, antisemitic incidents jumped 32% to 62 compared to 47 last November. There were seven crimes against Muslims last month, compared to zero last November, and there were five incidents labeled as ethnic, which includes victims thought to be Palestinian.
