Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., March 15, 2008 Adar2 9, 5768 | | Israel Time: 23:40 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
An orthodox Jewish man walking in Lakewood, New Jersey on Thursday. (AP)
Last update - 18:30 12/10/2007
Orthodox rabbi beaten with baseball bat in New Jersey town
By The Associated Press
Tags: attack, rabbi, baseball bat 

LAKEWOOD, New Jersey - A man wielding an aluminum baseball bat attacked an Orthodox Jewish rabbi walking to synagogue last week, critically injuring the 53-year-old man and threatening to strain the already tense ethnic relations in a New Jersey city, officials and residents said.

The beating of Mordechai Moskowitz, reportedly at the hands of am African-American man, has put residents on edge in Lakewood, a diverse city of 70,000 near the Jersey Shore that is home to a large Orthodox Jewish population, as well as black and Hispanic communities.

An Orthodox Jewish middle school teacher was found not guilty this summer of assaulting a black teenager. And a few weeks ago, a group of Orthodox Jews was pelted with eggs by teenagers from another town, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Advertisement
Authorities have arrested no one and have no motive in the beating of the rabbi, police Lt. Joseph Isnardi said.

There's a very, very strong feeling of revulsion and horror that this attack happened here, said Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg, who belongs to the council of local Jewish leaders called the Vaad.

Witnesses told police they saw an African-American man walk by Moskowitz and without saying a word turn on the rabbi, beating him in the head and body with the baseball bat. Moskowitz remained in critical condition Thursday, his face disfigured.

Lakewood has seen large growth in its Orthodox Jewish and Hispanic communities, while the black population has shrunk, officials said.

"We have a very large population of Orthodox Jewish residents. And we get our share of spray painting, people riding down the road yelling epithets - all kinds of different things like that," Isnardi said.

Some Jewish residents said Thursday they feared the latest attack would exacerbate long-standing tensions between ethnic groups in the town.

Abraham Sasson, 15, was with a friend who quickly pulled out a flier critical of the police department's handling of safety. Sasson recounted how a woman at an area store had asked him the night before to walk her to her car only about 30 meters from the store.

"She was very scared to walk out by herself. That's part of the reaction of the township against the horrifying attack that took place two days ago," Sasson said.

As he pushed a stroller with his son down the street, 25-year-old Alexander Spira said residents were horrified by the attack. But he also noted there were places in the world that are less safe "People are going to Israel, where people are blowing up buses," Spira said.

More Jewish World news and features
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Not even for Natalie
A Haredi actor quits Natalie Portman's latest film due to rabbis' protests.
Al-Jazeera boycott
Al-Jazeera slams Israeli boycott as attack on free expression.
  1.   Hopefully 07:17  |  Steve 12/10/07
  2.   Jew "assaulting" the Aftican American 08:09  |  Jewish State 12/10/07
  3.   so Reb Spira... 08:25  |  new oleh 12/10/07
  4.   hate 08:34  |  oy 12/10/07
  5.   Rabbi beaten in Jersey 08:52  |  Rachel 12/10/07
  6.   Anti-Semitism in America- You all better get ready 08:52  |  Israeli 12/10/07
  7.   considring the horrors... 09:25  |  samos 12/10/07
  8.   Steve (Post No. 1) 09:27  |  Johnny Weintraub 12/10/07
  9.   what buses? 09:37  |  ecr 12/10/07
  10.   Spira 09:44  |  Scott 12/10/07
  11.   Religious girl abducted and raped a year ago in Lakewood 10:00  |  S.Shalom. 12/10/07
  12.   safe in Lakewood? 10:18  |  L 12/10/07
  13.   safe in Lakewood? to alexander spira 10:25  |  laura 12/10/07
  14.   hate 10:29  |  oy stein 12/10/07
  15.   This is news? 10:43  |  JordanisPlaestine 12/10/07
  16.   Editing 10:58  |  aj 12/10/07
  17.   Bad news 11:26  |  Chris Linthwaite 12/10/07
  18.   Ambiguity 12:37  |  Jeff 12/10/07
  19.   This is what the Jews anywhere in the world... 12:41  |  Dutch Dirk 12/10/07
  20.   Leftist Degeneracy at Home promotes antisemitism abroad 12:43  |  Feiglin Supporter 12/10/07
  21.   Dutch Dirk has it right (partly 12:57  |  Jackie 12/10/07
  22.   #20, Feiglin Supporter 13:06  |  Hannah 12/10/07
  23.   Wake up, Scott, there`s anti-Semitism in Israel too 13:17  |  Raymond from DC 12/10/07
  24.   Rachel #5 13:28  |  Joshua 12/10/07
  25.   baseball bat 13:33  |  sloko 12/10/07
  26.   Jackie #21 13:36  |  Joshua 12/10/07
  27.   Dutch Dirk, oh so its the Jews fault? 13:37  |  Sebastian 12/10/07
  28.   Hannah #22 13:40  |  Joshua 12/10/07
  29.   Hannah 13:41  |  Sebastian 12/10/07
  30.   attack on Rabbi in America 13:52  |  Hilda 12/10/07
  31.   rabbi beaten in n.j. 13:57  |  john perry 12/10/07
  32.   Every Jew a 22 (better a 45, but it doesn`t rhyme) 14:00  |  Mike 12/10/07
  33.   #18 Jeff 14:02  |  Chris Linthwaite 12/10/07
  34.   Hannah, do you really want the world to know... 14:03  |  bbl 12/10/07
  35.   Dutch Dirk -- You think that makes you noble? 14:10  |  bbl 12/10/07
  36.   #26 Sebastian of Stockholm 14:13  |  Chris Linthwaite 12/10/07
  37.   Hate in America 14:15  |  iletzter 12/10/07
  38.   #25/#26 14:15  |  Hannah 12/10/07
  39.   #17 - Chris 14:22  |  Yitz 12/10/07
  40.   #24 Sebastian: Its a Israeli invention... 14:24  |  Dutch Dirk 12/10/07
  41.   USA + Israel = Nations Built on RACISM 14:25  |  POP 12/10/07
  42.   DON`T TELL AMERICAN JEWS THEY WILL BE BETTER PROTECTED IN SDEROT) 14:36  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 12/10/07
  43.   CHAPTER 329 OF SHULKHAN ARUKH (JEW. CODE) SAYS JEWISH TOWNS MUST 14:44  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 12/10/07
  44.   DUTCH Drk.YOU said you support attacks on Dutch Jews 14:46  |  PETER SM 12/10/07
  45.   Rabbi beaten 14:48  |  Abu Yusuf 12/10/07
  46.   Wow, Tamir #24, are you proud of yourself? 14:58  |  bbl 12/10/07
  47.   #28, Joshua 15:16  |  Hannah 12/10/07
  48.   Some red meat for the paranoids 15:17  |  Tosefta 12/10/07
  49.   #29, Sebastian 15:21  |  Hannah 12/10/07
  50.   POP 15:24  |  marbpl 12/10/07
  51.   Anti-Semitism in the US downplayed 15:43  |  Chick 12/10/07
  52.   Dutch Dirk 15:53  |  Polybios 12/10/07
  53.   I haven`t heard from The Reverend Al Sharpton 15:55  |  Johnny Weintraub 12/10/07
  54.   bbl 15:57  |  Jasmine Murphy 12/10/07
  55.   Welcome Home 16:04  |  Paul 12/10/07
  56.   #19 Dutch dick,is thretening Jews everywere 16:07  |  TOMY 12/10/07
  57.   #22 Hannah,again trying hard to musc her 16:18  |  TOMY 12/10/07
  58.   #50 Hannah 16:36  |  Chris Linthwaite 12/10/07
  59.   Well said Abu Yusuf #46 16:38  |  Humble jew 12/10/07
  60.   5 Rachel, Rabbi beaten in Jersey 16:45  |  Waleed 12/10/07
  61.   dutch dirk nonsense 16:57  |  utagawa 12/10/07
  62.   Hannah, a False Accuser? #48 17:03  |  Joshua 12/10/07
  63.   The meat is pallid peak at best, #49 17:07  |  Joshua 12/10/07
  64.   Time to defend ourselves 17:17  |  utagawa 12/10/07
  65.   Retaliation? 17:23  |  Steve 12/10/07
  66.   urban decay 17:25  |  simcha 12/10/07
  67.   #47 Wow Tamir 17:31  |  Ibrahim 12/10/07
  68.   Rabbi 18:01  |  Einstien ll 12/10/07
  69.   R U Ignorant, or a liar, Hannah #22 18:03  |  Polybios 12/10/07
  70.   #11, S.Shalom. I don`t know this case, but you describe it as a.. 18:13  |  zmogus 12/10/07
  71.   #52 utagawa Maybe notthe Jewish Defense League 18:17  |  Yonatan 12/10/07
  72.   Dutch Jerk 18:50  |  Milton