A renowned Jewish group recently condemned the brutal assault carried out on a student in New York last month. Anti-Defamation League said in a statement that it was extremely troubled by the incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime, after having taken place at Crown Heights in Brooklyn.
“The allegation that the perpetrator voiced hatred for Jews and white people is deeply disturbing,” said ADL New York Regional Director Evan R. Bernstein in the statement. “No one in our city should be singled out because of their ethnicity or religion, and this is particularly true in Crown Heights, where the community has worked hard to build bridges and to overcome stereotypes and misperceptions.”
The crime took place on December 23 on the premises of Medgar Evers College, which is affiliated with City University of New York System. A Jewish student, aged 24 years and dressed in a kippah or skullcap, was talking to his classmates in the hallway of his college building when an unidentified African-American man pushed him from behind. When the student in question tapped the man on his shoulder with an umbrella he was carrying, the man went on to punch him in the stomach and face.
Reportedly, when the student begged to know why he was being beaten, the man said, “I don’t like white and Jewish boys. Leave the school, you Jew.”
Soon after, the man fled the scene, exiting through the building’s main entrance. The victim did not need medical attention according to local media reports.
The New York City Police Department is looking into the attack as a possible hate crime. Officials have interrogated the victim and several witnesses, including a Muslim woman who informed campus security of the brutal assault. Investigators have been reviewing surveillance footage as well to track down the perpetrator. It is still unknown whether the assailant was a student of the same college.
Evers College President Rudolph Crew described the attack as an awful act of ignorance and violence.
“While such incidents are fortunately rare on campus, even one is too many,” he said. “To attack someone because of his or her race or religious beliefs is appalling. I want to make it clear that we have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and we will do everything in our power to ensure the assailant is found and held fully accountable for these hateful actions.”
Apparently, Crew as well as Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams ordered their staff to assist the victim and NYPD in any way possible.
Adams said that Medgar Evers College and Brooklyn Borough have no tolerance for hate crimes.
He added, “We are a diverse community that will grow stronger and more united in the face of an isolated incident of ignorance.”
Council member Laurie Cumbo appealed to students at Medgar Evers to come forward if they know anything that may lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.
She said that the incident is “in no way a reflection of the student body at MEC, who have had a long history of welcoming students of all races and religions.”
Photo Credits: Momstream
