A man punched a 29-year-old Jewish woman in a Manhattan subway station in an antisemitic attack Saturday, according to police.
According to The New York Post, police noted that the unidentified male attacker punched the 29-year-old victim in the face around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday at the 32nd Street and Lexington Avenue subway station 7-train passageway. Asked why he attacked her unprovoked, the man said, “You are Jewish.”
According to the New York Daily News, the man fled the scene, leaving the victim with minor injuries from the antisemitic attack. The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Unit is currently investigating Saturday’s attack.
The unprovoked subway station attack comes after the recent devastating Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel have sparked a major conflict in the Middle East that has resulted in increased antisemitic threats and attacks against Jewish people across the world.
READ MORE: Jewish kids told to hide identity in U.K. as antisemitic incidents skyrocket: Report
Last week, Community Security Trust, a United Kingdom group dedicated to Jewish security, released a report showing that between October 7 and 10, over 89 antisemitic incidents occurred, representing a 324% spike from the 21 incidents recorded during the same period in 2022.
NBC Boston reported that Molotov cocktails were used Wednesday to attack a Jewish synagogue in Berlin, Germany. Like the U.K., antisemitic incidents have been rising in the German capital since the outbreak of the war between Hamas and Israel.
The United States has been increasing security for Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities in light of the rising hate crime threats.
“The entire Justice Department remains vigilant in our efforts to identify and respond to hate crimes, threats of violence or related incidents with particular attention to threats to faith communities,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a Thursday press conference.