Horrific
Israeli Educator Assaulted in Antisemitic Attack on Manhattan Street
Israeli educator and IDF lecturer Rami Glickstein was attacked in Midtown Manhattan after a man snatched and spat on his kippah, punching him in the face. NYPD investigates as a hate crime amid rising antisemitic attacks in New York.
A 58-year-old Israeli educator and IDF lecturer, Rami Glickstein, was hospitalized yesterday after a man snatched his kippah, spat on it, and punched him in the face in what New York police are investigating as a hate crime.
he assault occurred around 6:30 p.m. on West 38th Street in Midtown Manhattan as Glickstein walked toward Mr. Broadway, a popular kosher restaurant near Times Square.According to Glickstein and witnesses, the assailant approached him, pointed at his kippah, and demanded, “Tell me about your religion.”
When Glickstein ignored the question, the man ripped the skullcap from his head, threw it to the ground, and spat on it. As Glickstein bent to retrieve it, the attacker delivered a single punch to his face.Jewish bystanders shouted at the suspect and immediately called 911.
Glickstein entered the restaurant before paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital for treatment of facial injuries. He was discharged early today. (Tuesday)
The suspect—described as a man in his 30s wearing a dark hoodie, fled south on Broadway and remains at large. NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force has taken over the investigation.
“My Israeli pride was hurt,” Glickstein told Israel Hayom from his hospital bed. “It pains me that I couldn’t fight back, and I regret that deeply.” A longtime educator who lectures to IDF units on Jewish history and resilience, Glickstein was in New York for professional engagements.
The attack is the latest in a documented surge of antisemitic violence in New York since October 7, 2023. NYPD data shows 1,218 hate crimes against Jews in 2024, more than double the previous year, with 2025 on pace to exceed that figure.
October 14, 2025: Vincent Sumpter sentenced to five years for stabbing Chabad yeshiva student Yechiel Michel Dobruskin in Crown Heights in 2024, shouting “Free Palestine.”
July 20, 2025: Group assault at Sissam kosher restaurant in Queens; victims hospitalized with broken ribs and concussions after attackers screamed, “We’re going to kill all the Jews.”
June 2025: FBI probe opened after Israeli tourists targeted with slurs and thrown objects near Central Park.
Mayor Eric Adams condemned Monday’s incident, stating, “Attacking someone for their faith, or for wearing a kippah, has no place in our city. We will find this coward.”
Community leaders called for increased patrols in Jewish-heavy areas. “This wasn’t random,” said Rabbi Yaakov Spivak of the Manhattan Jewish Council. “It was deliberate humiliation followed by violence.”
Surveillance footage from nearby businesses has been obtained, and police urge witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.