New details regarding the condition of one of the five Hasidic Jews wounded in a machete attack in Monsey, New York last Saturday night were released Wednesday, revealing the extent of the injuries he suffered in the attack.
The victim, who has been identified as 71-year-old Josef Neumann, is a married father of seven and a grandfather and great-grandfather, the family said in a statement.
Neumann, the most seriously wounded of the five victims of the machete attack, suffered serious permanent brain damage, according to the family’s statement, which has left him unconscious ever since the attack.
Doctors believe it is unlikely Neumann will ever regain consciousness, the family said, and if he does, he will be left paralyzed for the rest of his life.
“Our father Mr. Josef Neumann was severely stabbed multiple times during the mass attack Saturday night.”
“The knife penetrated his skull directly into the brain. He also suffered three cuts to the head, one cut to the neck, and his right arm has been shattered.”
“Our father's status is so dire that no surgery has yet been performed on the right arm. Doctors are not optimistic about his chances to regain consciousness, and if our father does miraculously recover partially, doctors expect that he will have permanent damage to the brain; leaving him partially paralyzed and speech-impaired for the rest of his life.”
“Our father has seven children, many grandchildren, a great grandchild, and brothers and sisters. We thank all of those who have contacted us for prayers and support. Please continue to pray for Yehosef Ben Perel. (Yeohosef is our father's Hebrew name. Ben means son, and Perel was the name of our grandmother OBM.)”
‘We urge fellow Jews across the United States and around the globe to please share on social media their own experiences with anti-Semitism and add the hashtag #MeJew. We shall not let this terrible hate-driven attack be forgotten, and let us all work to eradicate all sorts of hate.”
Locals described Neumann as an "incredibly kind human being."
"One of the most selfless people I know, said Yisroel Kraus, according to CNN. "Since I knew him he was a very poor man. He never had a dime to his name and always goes around collecting money for other poor families. It was never about himself."
The attack took place at approximately 9:50 p.m. Saturday night at a Hasidic synagogue in Monsey, New York, when 37-year-old Grafton Thomas burst into the building during the candle-lightning ceremony marking the start of the third day of Hanukkah.
Brandishing a machete, Thomas slashed and stabbed five congregants, before he was forced to flee after some congregants began hurling chairs at him.
Two hours later, Thomas was apprehended in Harlem. He has been indicted on five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.