This archive report was first published on 29 December 2019.
On December 28, 2019, a violent attack occurred at the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg in Monsey, New York, a suburb with a large population of ultra-Orthodox Jews.
The attack happened during a Hanukkah party around 10 p.m., when a man entered the home and stabbed five people before fleeing, officials said.
Police officials announced around midnight that the attacker had been caught, but they did not immediately indicate whether they were investigating the violence as a bias crime.
"The suspect fled the scene, but he is in custody at this time," police officials said.
Yossi Gestetner, a co-founder of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council for the Hudson Valley region, said five people were stabbed in the attack, and two were critically wounded.
"The house had many dozens of people in there," Mr. Gestetner said in a phone interview. "It was a Hanukkah celebration."
Ed Day, the county executive for Rockland County, condemned the attack, saying, "Law enforcement in Rockland will leave no stone unturned as they bring those guilty of this crime to swift and severe justice."
