Machete Attack on Rabbi's Home: 5 Injured; Attacker Arrested

A man entered the private home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, wearing a scarf and carrying a machete, injuring five people. The attack occurred in Monsey, 50 kilometers from New York City, an area with a large population of ultra-Orthodox Jews, while the attacker was celebrating Hanukkah. The victims, all Hasidic members of the Jewish faith, were taken to local hospitals; two are in critical condition. The perpetrator, who had managed to escape the home despite several attempts to apprehend him, according to American media, was arrested by police after a brief escape in the Harlem area. Meanwhile, police are executing a search warrant at a home in Greenwood Lake, a town not far from Monsey, suspected of being the attacker's home. "I was praying for my life," witness Aron Kohn, 65, told the New York Times, describing the knife used by the attacker as "the size of a broomstick." Yossi Gestetner, co-founder of OJPAC for the Hudson Valley region, told the New York Times that one of the victims was the rabbi's son. "The house had several dozen people," Gestetner said. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo responded harshly, saying he was "horrified" by the "despicable and cowardly" act and had directed the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate. "We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism in New York and will hold the attacker accountable to the fullest extent of the law," he tweeted. From Israel, President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin expressed his "shock and outrage" at the attack. "The rise of anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem, and it is certainly not just the problem of the State of Israel," he said in a statement. "We must work together to confront this evil, which is resurfacing and is a real threat worldwide," he concluded. The Monsey incident is part of a wave of anti-Semitic violence in the New York region. On Friday, the New York Police Department stepped up patrols in three Brooklyn neighborhoods after what officials called an "alarming" increase in incidents. Last month, an Orthodox Jew was stabbed steps from a local synagogue while walking to morning prayers. Synagogue surveillance cameras showed a vehicle stopping near the man and then the attack. The attacker has not been found.