At least five people were injured after an intruder stabbed them at a rabbi’s house in upstate New York during a party to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah late Saturday, according to officials.
Taking to Twitter, the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) tweeted after receiving a call from the site, “The victims, all Hasidic members of the Jewish faith, were transported to local hospitals — two in a critical condition.”
Local Ramapo Police said in a statement which he was posted on his Facebook,”The suspect has been taken into custody”.
Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, said in a statement that he was “horrified” by the “despicable and cowardly act”, and had directed the State Police hate crimes task force to investigate.
“We have a zero-tolerance for anti-Semitism in NY and we will hold the attacker accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he tweeted.
Yossi Gestetner, a co-founder of the OJPAC for the Hudson Valley region, told the New York Times one of the victims was a son of the rabbi.
“The house had many dozens of people in there,” Gestetner said. “It was a Hanukkah celebration.”
Israel President Reuven Rivlin also expressed his “shock and outrage” regarding the attack.
“The rise of anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem, and certainly not just the State of Israel’s problem,” he said in a statement.
After Saturday’s attack, Mayor Bill de Blasio took to his Twitter account, saying that he has spoken to longtime Jewish friends who are fearful of outwardly showing their faith.
(With inputs from AFP)