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Jewish men recount horror of Brooklyn anti-semitic attack as gov Kathy Hochul lends support

Zavadsky said that one of the men even punched him in the face for sporting an Israel Defense Forces sweatshirt

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: Two Jewish men were attacked and called 'dirty Jews' by two attackers in Brooklyn. Blake Zavadsky and his friend Ilan Kaganovich, both 21 years old, were at the Foot Locker in Bay Ridge shortly before 11 am on Sunday, December 26, when they were attacked by the two perpetrators. “They asked us what we were doing in their neighborhood,” Zavadsky said. “They called us ‘dirty Jews.'”

Zavadsky said that one of the men even punched him in the face for sporting an Israel Defense Forces sweatshirt. “The one who punched me said if I don’t take my sweatshirt off, he’s going to rock me,” Zavadsky said. “‘How can you support these dirty Jews?'” Zavadsky said the man allegedly told him. Zavadsky said that when he refused to take his hoodie off, one of the men doused him with iced coffee. 

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Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted that the state police Hate Crimes Task Force was assisting in the probe and was “ready to offer additional support.” "Yesterday, two Jewish men were verbally & physically attacked in Brooklyn. This is abhorrent and unacceptable. Antisemitism & all hate has no home in New York. The @nyspolice Hate Crimes Task Force is assisting in the investigation & we're ready to offer additional support," Hochul wrote. 

The NYPD said on Monday, December 27, that the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. Kaganovich claimed that the duo threatened him when he intervened. "I can’t believe this happened,” said Kaganovich. “We should be able to wear whatever we want to wear. Blake and I are Jewish — we should support Israel without it being a problem. My family moved from the Soviet Union for this reason — to be able to live a better life.”

Both Blake Zavadsky and Ilan Kaganovich attend college in the Big Apple. While Zavadsky is a student at the College of Staten Island, Kaganovich studies at Brooklyn College. They claimed that passersby did not intervene to try to help them even as they were attacked.

After the two men brought their story to City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, Vernikov told New York Post that she was angry and distressed by the attack. “These boys’ families escaped the [former Soviet Union] precisely because of incidents such as this one,” said Vernikov, the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants. “Jews were beaten, jailed, and ostracized from society just for being Jewish.” “We escaped to this country for freedom of religion, and here we go again, getting beaten up in broad daylight in the middle of Brooklyn, NY, in the United States of America,” she added. Meanwhile, NYPD officers have identified and are searching for one of the perpetrators. Both of them are currently on the run.

Zavadsky said that he has decided that he would not stop wearing his IDF hoodie in public. “You can’t be scared to walk outside and say you’re Jewish,” he said. “You have to be proud of who you are and stand up for what you believe — and not be intimidated.” “Now all we have to do is spread the word and make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else,” he added.