NY Jewish man required 18 stitches after being slashed in face in 'vicious' antisemitic hate crime
A Jewish man suffered a near-fatal antisemitic attack in Brooklyn on October 28, in an incident that the NYPD is investigating as a hate crime.
The Jewish man, named as Sadya Liberow, was slashed in the face while walking on the intersection between Flatbush and Lafayette Avenues.
Liberow, a father of two daughters under three, was approached by a man in a mask who shouted "F*** you guys," which Liberow said was an obvious reference to Jews. The attacker proceeded to slash Liberow's face with a blade before walking away from the scene.
After the attacker left, Liberow called 911 and Hatzalah himself and then removed his shirt to tie around his face to stem the bleeding, his mother, Nechama, told the Jerusalem Post.
Sayda Liberow called the attack on him a "vicious act of hate," which was one more in a "troubling rise of Jew-hate crimes in our city, state, and country."
"I trust that the NYPD Hate Crime Unit will take this case with the seriousness it deserves and hopefully apprehend the anti-Jewish, masked individual before other Jews are targeted and attacked," he added.
Liberow required 18 internal and external stitches and two hours of facial plastic surgery to seal up the wound, which stretches from the corner of his mouth to his ear, Nechama told the Jerusalem Post. She added that her son now finds it difficult to speak and sleep and could not eat solid food for several days.
"I was walking down the street to go to the Apple store, and instead, I get slashed in the face," Liberow told NBC New York. "I felt the blood gushing down my face."
Liberow's mother, Nechama, said to NBC that "[the attacker] approached my son saying "F*** you guys. 'Guys' is us. 'Guys' is the Jewish community. I cannot stand quiet while so many Jews are being attacked."
Attacker yet to be identified
In her conversation with the Post, Nechama thanked the NYPD Hate Crime Unit for their assistance in finding the attacker but noted the challenges the investigative team is facing as the attacker was fully masked, wearing a puffy coat, and almost fully covered beside his eyes, meaning he is yet to be identified. Stay updated with the latest news!
Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post NewsletterAccording to the NYPD, there have been 312 incidents of antisemitic hate crimes so far in 2024. 230 were recorded in 2023.
The Jew Hate Database urged authorities to take swift and decisive action and also called on law enforcement and local leaders to condemn acts of hate.
The organization offers a $1000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the attacker's arrest.
