A practicing Orthodox Jew, his family said he would have been wearing traditional dress and had a long beard at the time of his murder.
However, the NYPD said no clothes that one might associate with Judaism were found when his body was recovered.
“The circumstances demand answers in a city where antisemitic incidents have surged,” said his daughter, Leah Livshitz. “Daddy was visibly Jewish. He was targeted in broad daylight. He was killed in a public park where he should have been safe. His family deserves answers. The Jewish community deserves answers.”
Queens elected officials echoed the family’s calls on Thursday.
“They deserve justice, and our community deserves accountability,” said local Assemblymember Nily Rozic.
“We know it happened in a heavily used public park, so we know there were individuals in areas who may have seen something, heard something, and possessed some information that could help connect the remaining pieces of this investigation,” she added.
His children, who had lost their mother – Itzkowitz’s wife of 53 years – just three weeks before his murder, are mourning a man they called a “devoted husband,” and the “greatest father and grandfather we could have asked for.”
“He never missed a school function, he never missed a family milestone, and he treated every grandchild as if they were the most important person in the world, that is why it’s so impossible to comprehend that a man who spent his entire life caring for others could be taken from us in such a violent and senseless way,” said Livshitz.
A volunteer EMT who was known for helping his community, Itzkowitz had just visited two other grieving community members hours before his death.
“That speaks to the kind of person my dad was, and how loving and caring he was,” said his son. “He’s still grieving the loss of my mom, his wife, and he’s paying his respects to community members in our area.”
The NYPD said they are “diligently investigating” the case.