'People are traumatized,' N.Y. Jewish leader says after Hanukkah attack

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A Jewish leader in New York says people in his community are living in fear after five people were stabbed at a Hanukkah celebration on Saturday.

Grafton E. Thomas, 37, has been charged with federal hate crimes after he allegedlyinvaded a rabbi's home in Monsey,Rockland County, N.Y., and attacked people with a machete.One of the victims is in critical condition.

Authorities say they found a handwritten journal containing references to Jews and anti-Semitismin the accused's home, and anti-Semitic internet searches on a phone in his car.

His court-appointed attorney, Susanne Brody, said Thomas has issues with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

He faces five federal counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by attempting to kill with a dangerous weapon and causing injuries. On Sunday, he pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.

Rockland County legislatorAron Wieder,who is a member of the Hasidic community, says the attack is just the latest in a string of incidents that has Jewish people in New York on edge. Here is part of his conversation with As It Happens guest host Helen Mann.

Can you take us back to the weekend and tell us when you first learned of the attack and what your thoughts and feelings were in that moment?

I was spending the Hanukkah celebration with family in Brooklyn, and I've gotten text messages and phone calls people who are confused, scared.

My children kind of got an inkling of what was going on, and the sad part was they asked me if perhaps we should stay in Brooklyn and not go home for the night.

We drove back to the town of Ramapo. I went down to the scene. I know the community very well. I know the rabbi. I know the synagogues.

We were there. Law enforcement was there. And it looked like a crime scene but a crime scene with a lot of fear and confusion by people living in that community.

Can you tell us anything about the victims who were injured in the attack?

Most of them arealready released from the hospital. I met with them.

In fact, one person is having a family wedding [Monday night]. His son is getting married.

But one victim is still in the hospital an elderly person who has a heart condition and is literally fighting for his life. And his family are asking the public for prayers.

The family of the suspectreleased a statement through the suspect's lawyer that says the suspect has "a long history of mental illness and hospitalizations."It also says there is no known history of anti-Semitism. And yet we now hear that he has been charged with federal hate crimes. Can you tell us what your thoughts are on on what happened and the person who is accused?

Anyone who would do such a horrendousterrible act is mentally deranged. In fact, people who havedeep-seated hatred in their hearts are, in my opinion, mentally not stable.

The Washington Post says that the attack on Saturday was the 13th anti-Semitic incident in three weeks in New York. I just wonder what your thoughts are on whether levels of government, whether police forces are taking seriously the threats to Jewish communities in the United States right now?

Let me correct you. It's 13 incidents that were reported. There were probably many more soft attacks, with people yelling hateful, derogatory things towards Jews, that probably went unreported.

As an elected official in the County of Rockland, I've dealt with law enforcement in particular, with the sheriff of Rockland County, Sheriff LouisFalco.I have all the faith that he is doing everything he can to keep the community safe. And he has many sleepless nights worrying about and working hard to protect the Orthodox Jewish community in Rockland County.

But I do understand those who have looked for answers and haven't gotten them yet, and feel that more needs to be done.

What would you like to see done?

Definitely an increase of law enforcement, visible law enforcement, on the streets.

I would like to see funding for private schools, because private schools in the United States are notgovernment funded and they are struggling for resources, and it will go a long way for local governments and state and federal governments to provide for funding for security for schools.

This is the No. 1 concern of people in the Jewish community. God forbid if a target like that of a hate crime is a school. Children areour most precious commodity that we have. It's our future. And we need to protect our children more than we protect banks.

Beyond security, though, what needs to be done?I mean, this is obviously symptomatic of a much larger problem.

The first thing is that we need to acknowledge that the hate is there. Secondly, we need to denounce hatred when it's just out there as rhetoric. Because this didn't come out of nowhere. It first started with rhetoric, especially here in Rockland County.

For the last couple of years on social media there was hateful comments and derogatory comments. First, people posted comments anonymously, and with time, people posted their hateful, derogatory comments towards the Orthodox Jews with their names exposed, and saying things [like] the Orthodox Jewish community don't pay taxes, are a cancer.

It needs to be an approach by elected officials and community leaders to denounce hateful rhetoric, because words have meanings and we don't know [whether] those who commit acts of violence have not read this hateful rhetoric leading up for them doing these horrible and horrific acts of violence against innocent people.

Witness to a tragic attack at New York Hanukkah Party

5 years ago

Duration 6:59

We talk to Yossi Gestetner about the horrible turn of events in his home community, at what was to be a joyous party celebrating the 7th night of Hanukkah. The party was invaded by an intruder wielding a knife who ended up stabbing five people at the party. We ask him about the reaction of a community that knows all too well about growing anti-semitism, especially against the orthodox community.

How does the broader threat as well as the specific attack on the weekend and the ones, as you say, that have gone unreported how did those affect people who are living day-to-day in Rockland County and going about their business?

People are traumatized. You can see it. If you walk down the streets, you could feel it.

You cansee a level of alertness that I've yet to seebefore.

People take this very serious, and they do look over their backs.

I want to ask you, finally, why you think this is happening right now?

I don't have the answers, and I hope there is no answer to this. Because there should never, ever be an explanation for hatred, especially hatred that can lead to violence.

Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from The Associated Press. Interview produced by Katie Geleff. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.