The New York Police are investigating two attacks on Jewish men in Brooklyn in the past month as possible hate crimes.
The most recent incident, which was caught on security cameras, took place last Saturday. The footage shows the attacker running down the street and grabbing an Orthodox Jewish man in his 50s, shoving him against a fence, punching him, and attempting to choke him.
The victim, who opted not to disclose his name, told the local CBS News affiliate that he sustained a black eye, a broken rib, and scratches on his back and neck.
The victim said he was attacked while on his way home from synagogue on Saturday afternoon.
"I turn around, and I see that he's right behind me, and he jumped me. Then he says, 'I hate Jews,'" the man said.
"I greeted him, 'hello,' and continue … the next thing I know, he says, 'I don't like Jews. Who are you talking to? I don't talk to Jews.' He put me in a headlock and I'm trying to maneuver out of him, and in the meantime, I'm screaming, 'Help! Help! Help!'
"And he says, 'You don't need help, I'm gonna kill you right here.'"
Two passersby managed to hold back the attacker long enough for the victim to escape, but he was not apprehended.
While police have increased security in the neighborhood, relatives of the victim said they were still afraid to be out on the streets.
"There's fear. There's a lot of fear. We know that, unfortunately, there are people out there who want to kill us for one reason – because we are a Jew," the man's wife told CBS.
On April 14, a 42-year-old Jewish man was attacked in Crown Heights. An unknown assailant approached him and asked him if he wanted to "fight." The attacker then hit him in the face.
It is still unclear whether the two attacks are linked. The Anti-Defamation League has offered a $5,000 reward to anyone who comes forward with information that leads to the arrest of the suspects.
Acting Chairman of the World Zionist Congress Yaakov Haguel said his organization views anti-Semitic incidents with great concern and that anti-Semites must not be allowed to harm Jews' way of life.
"I support the police in Brooklyn who are trying to prevent another such incident. I am calling on the government of New York to try and contain these terrible incidents," Haguel said.
