A suspect has been arrested for attacking a rabbi in New York City yesterday, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz says, noting that the incident took place on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Katz says the suspect, Eric Zafra Grosso, has been charged with a hate crime. Katz’s statement did not name the rabbi, only stating that he is a member of the Bukharian Jewish community who was wearing a kippah at the time of the attack.
“The gravity of this alleged assault is compounded by the fact that it occurred on International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” Katz says.
Grosso allegedly approached the rabbi, shouted “Fuck Jews,” and punched the rabbi in the face and chest, knocking him to the ground.
Grosso is charged with assault in the third degree, assault in the third degree as a hate crime, and aggravated harassment in the second degree, and faces up to four years in prison.
Jews are targeted in hate crimes in New York City far more than other groups, police statistics show.
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
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