By Jacob Wetrogan, Staff Writer
On Monday, October 27, Rabbi Major Rami Glikstein, an Israeli educator and lecturer for the Israel Defense Forces, made his way to Mr. Broadway, a well-known kosher restaurant near Times Square. In his yarmulke and tzitzit, he was very clearly a Jew.
On his way into the restaurant, a man dressed in all black approached him. The man demanded to know Glikstein’s religion, but Glikstein didn’t answer. The man grabbed the yarmulke off of Glikstein’s head and threw it on the ground. As Glikstein went to retrieve it, the man attacked, punching him in the face. Glikstein was left cut, bruised and with an internal brain bleed.
Video footage shows numerous people walking by the scene, ignoring an injured Jewish man being taunted by a large, violent attacker. Eventually, two Jewish men intervened, confronting the attacker, who subsequently fled the scene. The men called 911, and Glikstein was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was treated and interviewed by law enforcement.
One week after the attack, Rabbi Glikstein came to Yeshiva University’s Wilf campus to speak about his experience — not just the incident that occurred, but also his time in the IDF. He would share stories of his children currently serving in the IDF and of his father, a Holocaust survivor.
After the speech, I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions.
When I asked him if he was happy with the response from law enforcement, he told me that he was very happy with the response from the NYPD and FBI. “They were great; I think they’re doing their best,” he said. Regarding the investigation, he said that as far as he knew, they were still searching for the attacker.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m not afraid,” he said when I asked him what his message was to students who feel afraid to wear yarmulkes and be openly Jewish in public. “I went back to the restaurant, and I ate my sandwich. Don’t be afraid, be proud.”
Glikstein suffered a brain bleed and a broken nose from the attack, and he was not able to return to Israel on his scheduled flight.
The Israeli Consulate in NYC, led by Consul General Ofir Akunis, sent their statement to the YU Observer, saying that Akunis wished for Glikstein to know that the consulate “was at the full disposal of Glikstein and his wife.” The statement said that Akunis would describe the attack as “a direct result of the daily incitement taking place around the world — including in the United States — against Jews and against Israel,” adding, “Lies, verbal violence, calls for another October 7 massacre, and the unrestricted spread of blood libels, such as the false Gaza narrative, influence many people, some of whom do not hesitate to commit physical attacks.” The consulate said that Akunis would call on leaders across the U.S. to condemn the attack.
This incident comes amid a historic rise in antisemitism across the country and the city, as well as directly before the recent election of Zohran Mamdani, a strong opponent of Israel, to mayor of NYC. Still, attacks like this are not a common occurrence. Glikstein’s wife described the incident to JNS as shocking. “It’s like 1939,” she said. Glikstein himself described it as “like something from the past, from 1939.”
The NYPD along with the FBI are currently investigating the attack as a hate crime and have yet to make an arrest.
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