A Jewish barber in Yonkers, New York was stabbed by an irate costumer enraged over the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, the New York Post reported.
The customer, who was identified as 34-year-old Ahmed al Jabali, was reportedly drunk when he entered the barber shop of Slava Shushakova on August 29 and entered into a heated argument with the barber over the Gaza war.
Shushakova told the Post than al Jabali shouted, “I want to kill you, you f–king Jew!"
“He cut me one time, and I asked him to stop and [leave] my store," Shushakova said. “He didn’t. And he said, ‘No, I have to finish [you], and after I’ll go. That’s what he wanted."
“He told me, ‘This is right to do,' and [that] he’s right, and he has a right as a Muslim to punish Jews." the victim added.
Shushakova recounted how al Jabari launched into a tirade against Israel and refused to change the subject, becoming more enraged until he grabbed the barber's scissors from the counter and cut him with them.
The wounds to his hand were serious enough that Shushakova said he will not be able to work for a month.
“Thank God he didn’t touch my face, because he tried to hit me different ways,” Shushakova said. “This is how I stopped him, with my hands.”
Shushakova grabbed a kitchen knife to fight back, at which point al Jabari ran away. Al Jabari was soon arrested and charged with attempted murder. Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
In nearby New York City, the NYPD reported 19 antisemitic incidents in August, an increase over last year’s tally of 12 antisemitic incidents in August.
Antisemitic incidents have increased in New York City since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. The NYPD stated that an overall rise in hate crimes in 2024 has been fueled by antisemitic attacks. In every month since October 7, the tally of anti-Jewish incidents has been higher year over year. Jews remain the group most targeted in hate crimes nearly every month.
An August report by Tom DiNapoli, the New York State comptroller, found that antisemitic incidents made up 44% of all hate crimes in the state last year, and 88% of those motivated by religious bias.