One year after antisemitic attack, Monsey’s Jewish community is arming itself

NEW YORK – On the one-year anniversary of the antisemitic stabbing attack that rocked the Orthodox community in Monsey, New York, a number of residents in the area told Haaretz that they have applied for gun licenses to defend themselves in the last year.

“People out there should know that we’re not just this little rabbit that anybody can play with,” says Abe, 28, who asked that his full name not be published.

On December 28, 2019, a man stabbed attendees at a Hanukkah party in the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg on Monsey’s Forshay Road. Five people were injured in the attack and one of them, Josef Neumann, succumbed to his injuries three months later. The assailant, Grafton Thomas, faced federal charges for hate crimes but was found mentally unfit to stand trial. He still faces state charges.