Shortly before, the assailant allegedly stabbed a non-Jewish Asian man, Chok Sung, 57. Both victims are in stable condition.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n The alleged attacker, Raul Morales, 51, shouted \u201callahu akbar\u201d during the incident, the NYPD said. Police took Morales into custody immediately after the attacks.<\/p>\n Police said the incidents are being investigated as potential hate crimes and that mental health issues may have been a factor.<\/p>\n Video showed the Jewish victim, sitting on the ground and clutching his chest, immediately after the attack.<\/p>\n The stabbings took place a day after Mamdani issued a statement acknowledging that he could not fulfill his promise to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n Our NYC family Rabbi Angela Buchdahl<\/p>\n ???? ???????? ???????????????????? pic.twitter.com\/G3C5tIF2P9<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Josh Wolfe (@wolfejosh) July 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n In Mamdani\u2019s video statement, before announcing the city could not arrest Netanyahu, he made a series of incendiary claims against Israel. The video has been viewed more than 242 million times.\n<\/p>\n The statement came after other incendiary anti-Israel rhetoric from Mamdani, such as a speech last month<\/a> in which he likened the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC to \u201cmonsters\u201d fomenting \u201cgenocide\u201d and societal division.<\/p>\n \u201cThe man accused of yesterday\u2019s attacks may have been struggling with mental health challenges, but people in crisis can be especially susceptible to the hatred and conspiracy theories around them,\u201d Goldstein said. \u201cThat makes dehumanizing public rhetoric more dangerous, not less.\u201d<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s press conference took place outside The Jewish Center, a Modern Orthodox synagogue where Grunhaus had been praying before he was stabbed down the street.<\/p>\n \t Speakers recounted discussing antisemitism with their children, debating about whether children should wear a Star of David, security guards at synagogues and parents fretting about security at summer camps.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was growing up, the only time we saw security outside of my synagogue or outside of my Jewish day school was when the mayor came to speak. The police were there to protect him,\u201d said Rabbi Yosie Levine of The Jewish Center. \u201cToday, every time the mayor speaks, we need the police to protect us.\u201d<\/p>\n Jews are targeted in hate crimes more than all other groups combined in New York City; there have been at least 178 confirmed antisemitic hate crimes<\/a> in the city this year.<\/p>\n Mamdani said in a statement after the stabbings, \u201cThe NYPD\u2019s initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor. They are also evaluating these stabbings as potential hate crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The stabbing was the second potential antisemitic attack in the city in two days. On Wednesday, a man shouting antisemitic slurs allegedly shoved a Jewish man<\/a> in Brooklyn, causing injuries that required hospital treatment.<\/p>\n Also at Friday\u2019s press conference were New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, representatives of Chinese-American and Muslim communities, and Micah Lasher, who is Jewish, represents the area in the New York State Assembly and won a Congressional primary last month.<\/p>\n \u201cI beseech all those in a position of power, including our mayor, to hear our cry from the heart to please help take the temperature down and provide leadership that makes every New Yorker feel safe,\u201d Lasher said.<\/p>\n \t The speakers repeatedly voiced solidarity with the Asian-American community and praised the NYPD for its response to the stabbings.<\/p>\n Mark Treyger, the head of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, declined to say whether Mamdani had been invited to the press conference.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll leave it to the mayor and his office to answer their scheduling questions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cResponsible leadership requires lowering the temperature, not raising it,\u201d Treyger said. \u201cWhat might seem to be an effective comms strategy that could generate tons of clicks and views might not be a good governing strategy because it has day-to-day implications on the people that you serve and represent.\u201d<\/p>\n Stickers on lampposts at the scene of the stabbing said, \u201cAntizionist violence happened here.\u201d<\/p>\n \t \u201cHis words have profound real-world consequences on us, and shame on him, shame on him for doing this for perceived political benefit when it has real-world consequences for the Jews of New York. He must stop,\u201d Goldstein said.<\/p>\n Police representatives have also voiced alarm about Mamdani\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n In the video, Mamdani encouraged New Yorkers to protest Netanyahu\u2019s expected visit to the UN General Assembly in September.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mayor\u2019s activist posturing puts police officers on the street in a terrible position,\u201d NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry told The New York Post<\/a>. \u201cProtests during the UN General Assembly are nothing new, but when the mayor of the city is actively calling for demonstrations, violent agitators will assume they have permission to cause as much havoc as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe mayor\u2019s heated rhetoric could be enough to push demonstrations over the edge into chaos,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tThe scene of a stabbing incident on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, July 23, 2026. (Luke Tress\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260724_untitled_06520.jpg\")
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\n\t\tNew York State Assemblymember Micah Lasher on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, July 24, 2026. (Luke Tress\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260724_untitled_06542.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA sticker says, \u201cAntizionist violence happened here,\u201d at the scene of a stabbing, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, July 24, 2026. (Luke Tress\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n
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