Suspected Antisemitic Stabbing Outside Manhattan Synagogue Injures Two Men

On the night between July 24 and 25, New York Police arrested Raul Morales, 51, on suspicion of stabbing two men outside an Orthodox synagogue in Manhattan's Upper West Side. The victims, one of Jewish descent and the other Asian, were hospitalized in stable condition. Witnesses reported Morales shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the attack, prompting authorities to investigate the incident as a potential hate crime. Morales has no known history of mental illness, though police are considering his mental state as a factor.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the stabbing on social media, acknowledging the attack and the victims' condition but refrained from labeling it antisemitic. He noted the police are examining the case as a possible hate crime and emphasized that such violence has no place in the city.

Israeli officials responded swiftly. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon condemned Mamdani's rhetoric, accusing him of inciting hatred that endangers Jewish lives in New York, home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. Danon urged Mamdani to stop fueling hostility that increases the risk of violence. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed shock but not surprise at the antisemitic attack, attributing it to months of incitement against Israel by Mamdani, which he said created an environment targeting Jews.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul explicitly called the stabbing an antisemitic attack, condemning it as an irrational assault on New Yorkers solely because they are Jewish. Hochul reaffirmed New York’s commitment to protecting its diverse communities and promised to hold perpetrators accountable.

The investigation continues as police seek to clarify Morales’s motives and whether other suspects are involved. The incident has intensified scrutiny of rising antisemitism and political rhetoric in New York City.