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CHAIRMAN C.A.P.S. @ (917) 804-3942

The Rabbinical Alliance of America Condemns Hate Crime Committed Against Man in Boro Park Incident

The Rabbinical Alliance of America (RAA) — Igud HaRabbonim, with a membership of over 950 Orthodox Rabbis — condemns Monday’s anti-Semitic attack against Mr. Lipa Schwartz, a 62-year-old A Jewish resident of Borough Park, Brooklyn. Mr. Schwartz was walking quietly, on his way to prayer services, when Farrukh Afzal, allegedly pulled up in a car, sprang from the vehicle and viciously beat the victim. Mr. Schwartz said the attacker spoke a foreign language he believed may have been Arabic. Mr. Schwartz suffered facial and head injuries.

The Rabbinical Alliance of America calls on decent people of all religions and ethnicities to condemn this serious crime. Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, executive vice-president of the RAA stated, “This vicious hate crime against a peace-loving man took place in a Jewish community that has been living side by side with the Muslim community for decades in peace and harmony.” Rabbi Mirocznik called upon residents of the community “to reaffirm their commitment to maintaining a peaceful, exemplary community and to reject hatred and bigotry.” The Rabbinical Alliance of America praises the swift efforts of the 66th Precinct and Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzales for their immediate action, and calls for designating this heinous act as a Hate Crime, stated Mark Meyer Appel Chairman of C.A.P.S.

An attack on any person in New York is an attack on all the communities of New York.

The Rabbinical Alliance of America continues working closely with the New York Police Department and law enforcement to see to it that the peaceful quality of life known to the community will continue.