Man Arrested After Attacking Guard and Congregant at Manhattan Reform Synagogue
A man disrupted Shabbat services and attacked a security guard and congregant at Central Synagogue in Manhattan on Friday night.
As security escorted him out, he struck a congregant, damaged synagogue property, then spit at and headbutted a security team member, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Tisch is Jewish, grew up attending the Reform synagogue and was married there.
A police officer working security took the man into custody. He allegedly yelled “F_ the Jews,” following the attack.
The NYPD identified him as Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx. He was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime, among other charges.
His aunt said he was “mentally traumatized,” and bizarrely claimed he had a “desire to belong to that religion,” referring to Judaism.
Extra police were sent to the synagogue. Tisch said she spoke with the rabbi, no one was seriously injured and there were no known additional threats.
The 63-year-old congregant suffered a small cut to her lip and an injury to her right forearm.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was “horrified,” calling the attack “despicable” and saying his administration would do everything possible to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe.
Jews are targeted in New York City hate crimes far more than any other group. Last month, they were targeted in 70% of all hate crimes despite making up about 10% of the population. At least 205 anti-Jewish hate crimes have been reported this year.
Hate crimes against Jews and some other groups have increased since Mamdani took office at the start of the year. Jewish leaders have repeatedly warned that his anti-Zionist rhetoric is fueling hatred against Jews.
On Monday, rabbis from a range of Jewish denominations met with Mamdani and warned that his repeated attacks on Israel were harmful to the Jewish community.
