Suspected attackers in Brooklyn, New York.

The victim of an anti-Semitic hate crime in Brooklyn shared his story with CBS New York, detailing the day he was beaten by four men earlier this month.

The 42-year-old, who is Jewish and declined to be named, said he was walking down the street in the Williamsburg neighborhood on May 4 when four men approached and punched him in the face. The attackers yelled, “We hate Jews,” the man told CBS.

“One terrible punch, like full of power, like a lot of power in one punch,” he said. “Terrible pain on the teeth and on the eyes.”

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

When one of the attackers allegedly yelled to the others, “He’s not down,” the victim said he started to “fight and scream for help.”

Two bystanders ran with him to the police, who are still trying to identify the attackers. The victim said his face was still bruised a week later.

Another attack on a Jewish man took place in the same area three days later. A video showed the victim being punched in the head from behind. Investigators are also still searching for the suspect, and the Anti-Defamation League is offering a $5,000 reward for information. Both cases are being treated as hate crimes. Attacks on Jews in heavily-Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn have been rising in the last few years.

Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount