News chronological

AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Victim of Manhattan synagogue attack responds defiantly after assailant screams antisemitic slurs during Shabbat service Sun Aug 16 17:22:43 2026

A 63-year-old congregant at one of New York City's most prominent synagogues posted photos of her bloodied face and a defiant message hours after a man allegedly attacked her during Friday night prayers, and Israel's consul general laid blame squarely on Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Michele Anenberg-Poma, a former Disney creative marketing executive, was struck during […] The post Victim of Manhattan synagogue attack responds defiantly after assailant screams antisemitic slurs during Shabbat service appeared first on American Almanac .

A 63-year-old congregant at one of New York City's most prominent synagogues posted photos of her bloodied face and a defiant message hours after a man allegedly attacked her during Friday night prayers, and Israel's consul general laid blame squarely on Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Michele Anenberg-Poma, a former Disney creative marketing executive, was struck during Shabbat services at Central Synagogue on Manhattan's Upper East Side after a 46-year-old Bronx man allegedly stormed toward the front of the sanctuary, shouted "F, k the Jews," called worshippers "swine," and broke two religious candles valued at $20,000. Larry Montes also allegedly headbutted and spat on a 65-year-old security guard before being taken into custody by an NYPD sergeant working paid detail at the synagogue, Fox News reported . Montes now faces two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime. A judge set bail at $10,000 cash or $30,000 bond, far below the $50,000 cash or $150,000 bond that Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Ali Fazal had requested. Anenberg-Poma posted her injuries and refused to stay silent By Saturday, Anenberg-Poma had shared a photo on Instagram showing a bloody busted lip and an open gash on her right forearm. Her message was pointed, the New York Post reported . "I am the woman who was assaulted last night at Central Synagogue. You will not punch out our Jewish light. You will not stand and cause harm to our eternal light." She continued: "We will continue to sing our prayers of peace, love, and joy while protecting the voices that lead us each week." Friends described Anenberg-Poma as having "the biggest heart." She has been active with the Lower East Side Girls Club and is an ardent supporter of Israel. In January, she posted a video on International Holocaust Remembrance Day warning against what she called "the evil of radicalized, proliferated antisemitism that is present at every turn." Supporters flooded her post. One commenter wrote: "After an antisemitic attack, you have every right to isolate and lick your wounds. Instead, you are coming forward as a light for the Jewish community. Many non-Jews stand with you, myself included." Montes has a long criminal record, and the judge still set low bail At the late-Saturday arraignment, ADA Fazal laid out Montes's prior history. In 2019, a court found him guilty of stealing deodorant from a CVS and striking an employee in the head multiple times. He was convicted in June of stealing headphones from a Best Buy in 2024 and brandishing a knife at a security guard. A 2009 bail-jumping case in New Jersey also appeared on his record, along with additional misdemeanor arrests in both states. Fazal asked for $50,000 cash bail or $150,000 bond. The judge set bail at one-fifth of that request, $10,000 cash or $30,000 bond. For a man with a documented pattern of theft, violence against retail and security workers, and flight from court obligations, the gap between what prosecutors sought and what the court ordered is difficult to explain to the people sitting in that synagogue Friday night. Prosecutors said Montes made antisemitic and racist statements during the attack and yelled "I am Hashem!", using the Hebrew word for God. The charges were filed as hate crimes. The attack began shortly after prayers started at 6 p.m., and AP News reported that no one was seriously injured, though Anenberg-Poma's photos told a different story about what "not seriously injured" looks like when you are the one bleeding. The incident comes amid a broader surge in antisemitic violence. Antisemitic attacks in 2025 killed 20 people outside Israel , the deadliest toll in three decades, and the trend has shown no sign of reversing. Israel's consul general points directly at Mamdani Israeli Consul General Ofir Akunis did not mince words on Sunday. His statement tied the attack to what he called the mayor's record on Israel. "The attack on Manhattan's Central Synagogue is a direct result of Mayor Mamdani's sustained campaign of incitement." Akunis added: "I warned that words would turn into actions, and that is exactly what is happening. Mamdani has failed to protect New York's Jews. It is not enough to issue weak condemnations. Action is needed." Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, has drawn criticism from Jewish leaders in the past for his public comments on Israel. Israeli leaders across the political spectrum have previously condemned his rhetoric , and his administration has faced scrutiny over ties to organizations that critics describe as hostile to the Jewish community. At a Saturday press briefing, Mamdani said: "We reject this with every fiber of our being." He added that "Jewish New Yorkers should be able to go to their synagogues without having to fear for their lives." The words were the right ones. But Akunis's charge, that the mayor's own past statements have contributed to a climate that emboldens attackers, is one that a single press briefing cannot answer. Mamdani has separately faced questions about his ties to a Qatar-based outlet that the Anti-Defamation League has called antisemitic. A Mamdani campaign associate tried to rewrite the facts in real time The political fallout did not stop with Akunis. Debbie Saslaw, co-founder of a progressive video production agency who worked on Mamdani's campaign, initially posted a claim that the attacker was an Orthodox Jew "lashing out at Jews" and argued the incident should not be called antisemitic. The Manhattan DA had already charged Montes with hate crimes. Montes allegedly admitted his actions were religiously motivated. When the New York Post confronted Saslaw with the facts, she deleted her post and said, "I was obviously mistaken." The episode captured a reflex that has become familiar: when antisemitic violence occurs, some corners of progressive politics reach first for an explanation that minimizes it. Saslaw's false claim circulated before the correction did. NYPD Commissioner Tisch grew up attending Central Synagogue NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch attended Central Synagogue as a child, a detail that underscores how personal the breach felt across the city's leadership. NYPD Commissioner Tisch's office confirmed that an NYPD sergeant on paid detail at the synagogue intervened and took Montes into custody. "As synagogue security was escorting him out, he struck a member of the congregation, damaged synagogue property, and then spit at and headbutted a member of the security team." That was Tisch's account of what happened, as Fox News reported. Services resumed the next day with additional police security, and Rabbi Rebecca Thau told congregants, as AP News reported: "We might want to be focusing on the beauty of our liturgy and the sanctity of Shabbat, and somehow the feeling of the imperfect and cruel world keeps flooding in." Livestream footage of the attack circulated on social media Friday night after the account StopAntisemitism posted it to X, writing: "Footage from tonight's attack inside NYC's Central Synagogue. Thankfully this lunatic has been arrested." Anenberg-Poma closed her Instagram post with a line that doubled as a rebuke to anyone inclined to look away. "Our beloved Central Synagogue stands for all, stands so tall, a light, a light truly for all." When a 63-year-old woman with a split lip and a gashed arm has to be the one reminding a city of eight million that Jews deserve to pray in peace, the failure belongs to every official who treated antisemitism as a talking point instead of a threat. The post Victim of Manhattan synagogue attack responds defiantly after assailant screams antisemitic slurs during Shabbat service appeared first on American Almanac .

AI:A 63-year-old congregant, Michele Anenberg-Poma, was violently assaulted during Shabbat services at Manhattan's Central Synagogue by Larry Montes, a man with a lengthy criminal history of violence and theft. During the attack, Montes allegedly shouted antisemitic slurs, including "F*** the Jews," destroyed $20,000 worth of religious candles, and headbutted a security guard. Despite the gravity of these hate crimes, a judge set Montes's bail at only $10,000, significantly lower than what prosecutors requested. Amidst rising antisemitism in New York City, Israel's consul general has blamed Mayor Zohran Mamdani for creating a climate that emboldens such attackers through his rhetoric. Even as the attack unfolded, progressive associates attempted to downplay the incident by falsely claiming the assailant was an Orthodox Jew before being forced to retract their statements. Anenberg-Poma responded to her injuries with defiance, vowing that such hate will not extinguish the Jewish light.