Man arrested for yelling anti-Semitic slurs, assaulting Orthodox Jew in New York
Steven Jorge allegedly punched and kicked 65-year-old, called him 'Jew bastard' before continuing attack even after victim fell to the ground
A man was arrested Monday for physically assaulting a 65-year-old Orthodox Jewish man while allegedly shouting anti-Semitic slurs
Steven Jorge, 28, of Miami was arrested shortly after the incident and charged with assault as a hate crime, local media reported.
The suspect allegedly shouted “Fuck you Jew bastard” before punching the victim who was wearing a black yarmulke, according to statement Tuesday from Dov Hikind, a former New York state assemblyman and founder of the Americans Against Antisemitism coalition.
Jorge continued to kick his victim after he fell to the ground on E.41st Street, on the Upper East Side in New York, New York police said.
The victim was treated at Mount Sinai for bruising and cuts.
“The attacks against Jews are out of control and we must have a concert strategy to address the rise of these attacks,” Hikind said in his statement.
New York has seen a rash of anti-Semitic crimes in recent months, with over half of all hate crimes in the city targeting Jews so far this year.
On Friday a man was arrested and accused of setting fire to a Yeshiva University dormitory using matches set out for Hanukkah, authorities in New York said.
Peter Weyand, 33, is suspected of setting three fires in the Schottenstein Residence Hall dormitory in Midtown Manhattan as students slept, New York’s Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement.
JTA contributed to this report.