Rami Glickstein, visiting New York for a short family trip, recounted to Arutz Sheva - Israel National News the terrifying moments he experienced when he was violently assaulted in what he describes as a blatant antisemitic attack just steps away from a Jewish restaurant in Manhattan.
“I was on my way to a well-known Jewish restaurant when a large man approached me,” Glickstein recalled. “He looked at me and started shouting, ‘What’s your religion?’ It was immediately clear that this wasn’t going to be a conversation. I tried to step away and enter the restaurant, but he blocked my path. He stopped me, attacked me, threw off my kippah, and began spitting on it.”
The situation quickly escalated. “When I bent down to pick up my kippah, he charged at me, punched me, and sent me flying into the street,” Glickstein said.
He managed to escape into the restaurant, where police were called to the scene. “They took it very seriously,” he noted. “It was a classic and deeply disturbing antisemitic incident.”
Glickstein was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. “I have a broken nose and internal bleeding near the skull,” he said. “Thank God, it’s not worse - it could have been much more serious.”
A veteran IDF reservist who recently completed 500 days of service, Glickstein said the incident left him shaken on a personal level. “I’ve spent years proudly defending Israel - our home - and suddenly, here I am reminded of how unsafe and out of place it feels to be a Jew in exile.”
His frustration extends beyond the attacker to parts of the local Jewish community, which he feels underestimate the growing threat. He pointed to what he called the “political absurdity” surrounding the upcoming New York mayoral elections, criticizing Jewish support for anti-Israel candidate Zohren Mamdani. “It’s unbelievable that so many Jews would vote for someone described as antisemitic,” he said.
Glickstein also described a troubling reality for Jews in New York. “Yes, people here routinely hide their Jewish identity,” he said. “After prayers, they cover their kippahs with hats before stepping outside. They’ve gotten used to it - and I can’t understand how they accept living like that.”
Reflecting on his experience, Glickstein emphasized the lessons he is bringing home to Israel. “We must appreciate having our own state and the ability to defend ourselves,” he said. “At the same time, Jews in the diaspora need to wake up - to strengthen their identity and take action to combat antisemitism. Personally, I refuse to be broken. I will continue walking proudly as a Jew, with my kippah on my head.”