The assault took place at the iconic Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
(JTA) Police have charged Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx, with hate crimes, accusing him of attacking a congregant and a security guard at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue during Friday night Shabbat services, the New York City police commissioner said.
“Montes has now been charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime, among other charges,” Commissioner Jessica Tisch wrote in a post on X.
Montes, who was arrested at the scene, disrupted Shabbat services before being apprehended by a security guard, according to Tisch.
“As synagogue security was escorting him out,” Tisch wrote, “he struck a member of the congregation, damaged synagogue property, and then spit at and headbutted a member of the security team.”
Tisch, who grew up attending the iconic Reform synagogue, said that an NYPD sergeant who was working on a paid detail on site “immediately stepped in and took the individual into custody.”
“I have spoken with the rabbi of the synagogue, and I’m relieved that no one was seriously injured,” she said.
While noting that the investigation is still ongoing Tisch said that there are no other known threats at the moment, and that additional NYPD resources were deployed to Central Synagogue.
For the police commissioner, however, the event was also personal, as she described the synagogue of her childhood as “a place of comfort and peace,” both “in joy and in sorrow.”
“What happened there tonight is deeply painful,” Tisch added. “A place of worship should never be a crime scene.”
The attack was caught on the synagogue’s weekly livestream of its service. Clips from that livestream were widely circulated on social media and news broadcasts. A loud popping noise can be heard, followed by a woman exclaiming, “Oh my God,” as Montes is escorted from the main sanctuary.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X that he was horrified by the alleged assault.
“I can only imagine the pain and fear an attack like this, during Shabbat services, causes for the congregation and for Jewish New Yorkers across our city,” he said.
The mayor emphasized that every New Yorker should be able to practice their religion without fearing violence, describing the event as a “despicable act” that “has no place in our city.”
“Our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe,” Mamdani added.
Mamdani has stirred anxiety among some New York City Jews over his criticism of Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and during the humanitarian crisis that followed in Gaza.
The attack comes less than a week after a group of rabbis met with the mayor to express concern about his rhetoric on Israel and its potential effect on the safety of New York Jews.
Although there is currently no evidence linking Montes’ alleged actions to Mamdani’s rhetoric, Israel’s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, blamed the mayor for the attack, as he has done following previous attacks on Jews.
In a post on X, he said that the attack was the “direct result of Mayor Mamdani’s sustained campaign of incitement. I warned that words would turn into actions, and that is exactly what is happening. Mamdani has failed to protect New York’s Jews. It is not enough to issue lukewarm condemnations. Action is needed.”
On Saturday morning the synagogue held its weekly morning prayer service. Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel told congregants, “We are grateful to be here,” as he thanked the synagogue’s security team and the NYPD.
He asked everyone present to pause and breathe in peace and to breathe out fear.
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