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 taken to the hospital in stable condition. Witnesses reported that 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 possible factor.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the stabbing on social media, acknowledging the attack and the victims' stable condition but refrained from labeling the incident explicitly as antisemitic. He noted the police are examining the case as a 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. Danon urged the mayor to stop fueling hostility against Jews. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed shock but said he was not surprised by the antisemitic attack, linking it to months of incitement against Israel by Mamdani. Sa’ar called on the mayor to cease his inflammatory rhetoric and take decisive action to protect the Jewish community.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul also condemned the attack, explicitly calling it an antisemitic assault. She reaffirmed New York's commitment to protecting its diverse communities and warned that those who threaten social cohesion will face the full force of the law.

The investigation into Morales’s motives continues, with police not seeking additional suspects at this time.