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New York's subway system, where an anti-Semitic attack took place Tuesday after passengers wished other travelers a Happy Hanukkah. (Reuters)
Last update - 12:39 12/12/2007
ADL commends N.Y. police for arrests in anti-Semitic subway attack
By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service
Tags: Hanukkah, subway violence 

The Anti Defamation League (ADL) applauded on Wednesday the New York City Police for arresting ten individuals suspected of carrying out an anti-Semitic attack against four students on the Subway on Friday.

The advocacy group, whose stated aim is to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, said in a statement "we were shocked and saddened to hear of the vicious, unprovoked and prolonged anti-Semitic attack perpetrated against four Jewish students celebrating Hanukka."

"We applaud the speed and efficiency of the NYPD and its Hate Crimes Task Force in treating this bias incident seriously, and look forward to seeing the perpetrators prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the statement continued.
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The ADL also commended a subway passenger who came to the aid of the students, saying that it is "heartening that there are good people who are willing to stand up when they witness racism, prejudice or bigotry."

The ADL works closely with law enforcement and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force in identifying and monitoring anti-Semitic incidents.

On Friday, Four Jewish subway riders who wished other people Happy Hanukkah were pelted with anti-Semitic remarks before being beaten, New York police and prosecutors said.

The incident was being investigated as a possible hate crime.

The four were on a train in Manhattan on Friday night, during the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, when they were approached by a group of 10 people who offered holiday greetings. The victims responded, Happy Hanukkah and were assaulted by the larger group, police said Tuesday.

Police caught up with the train in Brooklyn and arrested eight men and two women, aged 19 and 20. They were arraigned Saturday on charges of assault, menacing, riot, harassment and disorderly conduct, the Brooklyn district attorney's office said.

The case was being handled by the office's civil rights bureau, and charges could be upgraded to hate crimes, prosecutors said. The two men and two women who were attacked had bruises and welts on their faces and heads but were not hospitalized, police said.

One of the men charged, Joseph Jirovec, pleaded guilty last year to attempted robbery as a hate crime and was awaiting sentencing, prosecutors said. Jirovec, who is white, was part of a group that yelled racial epithets and assaulted two black teenagers in Brooklyn, prosecutors said.

Jirovec's lawyer, Peter Mollo, said Tuesday it was unlikely his client would attack someone for being Jewish. His mother was Jewish, Mollo said. It's very unlikely he would do something like this at all.

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      1.   I wish 00:37  |  wh 12/12/07
      2.   Nail them! 01:01  |  Steve G 12/12/07
      3.   New York 01:03  |  Lewis B. Sckolnick 12/12/07
      4.   Jews attacking Jews - Were they Etheopian Jews? 01:06  |  Ed Rosen 12/12/07
      5.   This is terrible. 01:16  |  Scott 12/12/07
      6.   and a I wish you all a... 01:28  |  ramzey 12/12/07
      7.   1 ho, ho, ho 01:28  |  chaim claus 12/12/07
      8.   you mean happy holidays 01:40  |  fadi 12/12/07
      9.   #1 01:44  |  Joe 12/12/07
      10.   Good to hear a quick response from police! 01:45  |  Nechama 12/12/07
      11.   clarification 01:49  |  AZ 12/12/07
      12.   what a twist! 02:06  |  I.A. 12/12/07
      13.   Re the last paragraph 02:15  |  mea too 12/12/07
      14.   I wish to all Jews around the World Happy Hanukkah especialy 02:18  |  IL supporter 12/12/07
      15.   How sad. And even more sad is how so few really understand 02:27  |  Virginia 12/12/07
      16.   I wish 02:27  |  Sam T. Claus 12/12/07
      17.   His Mother May Be Jewish But.... 02:34  |  Bill Foonman 12/12/07
      18.   We gotta stop this jew on jew violence !! hehe, how ironic !! 02:42  |  Hyporicy Monitor 12/12/07
      19.   His mother was Jewish? 02:45  |  Moishe Kadish 12/12/07
      20.   Jews hate arabs; everyone hates jews 02:57  |  Who cares? 12/12/07
      21.   #4 03:01  |  AZ 12/12/07
      22.   #4 The`Jews` were the kind that put up Christmas trees 03:14  |  Terry 12/12/07
      23.   I doubt that.. 03:29  |  Empresaria 12/12/07
      24.   Happy Hannukah World! 03:43  |  Yosemite 12/12/07
      25.   # 20. Jerws hate... 05:48  |  Mohammed 12/12/07
      26.   HYPOCRISY Monitor no need.Moslems slaughter each other wholesale 05:52  |  PETER SM 12/12/07
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      28.   Jewish antisemit-patetic 05:59  |  Dan 12/12/07
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      30.   Anti- semitism 07:57  |  Choni Davidowitz 12/12/07
      31.   Mohammed # 24 08:26  |  Philippe 12/12/07
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      35.   For Terry, on Christmas trees # 22 09:38  |  Clickfool 12/12/07
      36.   For Peter SM # 27 09:43  |  Clickfool 12/12/07
      37.   #34 Ari be Yisrael re #30 09:45  |  the truth 12/12/07
      38.   #37 the truth & what you missed 12:00  |  Ari ben Yisrael 12/12/07
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      40.   Would the ADL please STFU 14:09  |  POP 12/12/07
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      42.   # 40, JANE 14:47  |  indrajaya 12/12/07
      43.   35 SickoClicko would not know Christmas spirit if it slapped him 15:40  |  The Equalizer 12/12/07
      44.   More Than Misses, Jane 15:52  |  Sally Cooperman 12/12/07
      45.   should be treated stiffly... 2nd try 16:00  |  Teresa-Maria (Tess) 12/12/07
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      48.   Good Samaritan 16:39  |  Boris 12/12/07
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      65.   Mr Ari ben Yisrael 19:14  |  Mary 12/12/07
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