NYC synagogue assailant calls Jews ‘swine’; victim vows: ‘We will continue to sing’

The man who allegedly disrupted Shabbat services at a New York City synagogue, striking a congregant and a guard, called Jews “swine” after being detained, The New York Post reports.

Larry Montes, 46, from the Bronx, is arraigned on hate crime charges for the Friday night incident at the Central Synagogue.

An assistant district attorney says that, after Montes was arrested, he told police that the disruption and alleged assaults were motivated by religious animus toward Jews.

Montes interrupted the service by “screaming,” charging toward the front of the service, and smashing two candleholders worth around $10,000 each, the report says.

After being arrested, he called the congregants “swine” and “fake Jews” in statements to police, the assistant district attorney says.

He struck a 63-year-old woman in the face, knocking her to the ground and slicing open her lip, and headbutted a guard.

A woman identifying herself as the victim, Michele Anenberg-Poma, posts a photo showing her cut lip and a slice on her arm on social media.

“You will not punch out our Jewish light. You will not stand and cause harm to our eternal light,” she writes. “We will continue to sing our prayers of peace, love, and joy while protecting the voices that lead us each week.”