Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, BrooklyniStock

A knife-wielding follower of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement was arrested in Brooklyn after threatening a group of four young Orthodox Jews on Thursday night in Brooklyn Bridge Park, according to StopAntisemitism.

The victims, Israeli students, were in the park at around midnight. The suspect accosted them, shouting antisemitic slurs. He also told them to leave the park, taking out a knife and threatening them unless they handed over their money, the victims recounted.

According to StopAntisemitism, the antisemitic slurs used by the alleged assailant were similar in nature to anti-Jewish language used by Kanye West.

He also used language frequently heard from Black Hebrew Israelites, including that Jews are imposters and he is the authentic Jew.

The Jewish students reported the incident to Shmira of Williamsburg, who arrived at the scene and also contacted police.

The man was later arrested. On Friday, his charges were upgraded to include a hate crime count, according to StopAntisemitism.

According to the ADL, while not all Black Hebrew Israelite organizations are antisemitic or extremists, many subscribe to extremist ideology that “rejects widely accepted definitions of Judaism and asserts that people of color are the true children of Israel” and are considered hate groups that target Jews as “liars and false worshipers of G-d” and use “stolen identity” ideology to claim “animosity towards Jews.”