Jewish students attacked in antisemitic incident on NYC subway

At one point, one of the attackers grabbed the student by the throat and shouted, “I will kill one of you.”

By World Israel News Staff

A violent antisemitic incident unfolded overnight on the New York City subway, where a group of Chabad yeshiva students were verbally and physically attacked while traveling from Manhattan to the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn.

The students were returning from a Chanukah outreach activity in Manhattan, part of Chabad’s annual holiday efforts, when the confrontation erupted on a No. 3 train. According to eyewitness accounts, two men, believed to be a father and son, boarded the subway car shortly after departure and began hurling antisemitic slurs at the visibly Jewish students.

The verbal abuse quickly escalated. Mendy Atzarf, a Chabad student who was among those attacked, described the incident in an interview with Israel’s C14.

“We had just spent hours spreading light and joy for Chanukah in Manhattan,” Atzarf said. “We got on the No. 3 train heading to Brooklyn, and two men boarded the car and began cursing and shouting horrific antisemitic insults at Jews.”

Fearing the situation could worsen and hoping to document the incident for police, Atzarf took out his phone and began recording.

“As soon as the younger one realized I was filming, he attacked me physically,” he said.

Video footage recorded during the incident shows the assailant striking Atzarf inside the subway car. Loud shouting, profanities, and explicit threats are clearly audible. At one point, one of the attackers grabbed the student by the throat and shouted, “I will kill one of you.”

At one point, the attacker also made a gun gesture toward his head, further heightening fears that the encounter could turn deadly.

“When I saw how dangerous it was becoming, I quickly put the phone in my pocket,” Atzarf said. “The camera kept recording. You can hear everything. You can feel the fear.”

Witnesses said that despite the escalating violence, no other passengers intervened.

“No one helped us,” Atzarf said. “No one stood up. No one tried to block them.”

One stop before Crown Heights, the students fled the train in panic and ran to safety. They later filed a complaint at a nearby New York Police Department precinct. Authorities have been notified of the incident.

Following the attack, Atzarf said the students are determined not to be intimidated.

“They will not succeed in humiliating us,” he said. “We will continue to bring light into the darkness.”

The incident adds to a growing number of antisemitic attacks reported across New York City, particularly against visibly Jewish individuals, raising renewed concerns about public safety and the escalating climate of hatred.