The assault took place at the iconic Central Synagogue in Manhattan.<\/p>\n
(JTA<\/a>) Police have charged Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx, with hate crimes, accusing him of attacking a congregant and a security guard at Manhattan\u2019s Central Synagogue during Friday night Shabbat services, the New York City police commissioner said.<\/p>\n \u201cMontes 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,\u201d Commissioner Jessica Tisch wrote in a post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n Montes, who was arrested at the scene, disrupted Shabbat services before being apprehended by a security guard, according to Tisch.<\/p>\n \u201cAs synagogue security was escorting him out,\u201d Tisch wrote, \u201che struck a member of the congregation, damaged synagogue property, and then spit at and headbutted a member of the security team.\u201d<\/p>\n Tisch, who grew up attending the iconic Reform synagogue, said that an NYPD sergeant who was working on a paid detail on site \u201cimmediately stepped in and took the individual into custody.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have spoken with the rabbi of the synagogue, and I\u2019m relieved that no one was seriously injured,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the police commissioner, however, the event was also personal, as she described the synagogue of her childhood as \u201ca place of comfort and peace,\u201d both \u201cin joy and in sorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened there tonight is deeply painful,\u201d Tisch added. \u201cA place of worship should never be a crime scene.\u201d<\/p>\n The attack was caught on the synagogue\u2019s weekly livestream of its service. Clips from that livestream were widely circulated on social media and news broadcasts<\/a>. A loud popping noise can be heard, followed by a woman exclaiming, \u201cOh my God,\u201d as Montes is escorted from the main sanctuary.<\/p>\n New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X<\/a> that he was horrified by the alleged assault.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The mayor emphasized that every New Yorker should be able to practice their religion without fearing violence, describing the event as a \u201cdespicable act\u201d that \u201chas no place in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe,\u201d Mamdani added.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Although there is currently no evidence linking Montes\u2019 alleged actions to Mamdani\u2019s rhetoric, Israel\u2019s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, blamed the mayor for the attack, as he has done following previous attacks on Jews.<\/p>\n