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by AFP
\nBreitbart<\/p>\n
New York (AFP) \u2013 An intruder stabbed and wounded five people at a rabbi\u2019s house in upstate New York during a party to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah late Saturday, officials said.<\/p>\n
The victims, all Hasidic members of the Jewish faith, were transported to local hospitals \u2014 two in a critical condition \u2014 the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) tweeted after receiving a call at 9.50 pm.<\/p>\n
The suspect has been taken into custody, local Ramapo Police said in a statement on Facebook.<\/p>\n
Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, said in a statement that he was \u201chorrified\u201d by the \u201cdespicable and cowardly act\u201d, and had directed the State Police hate crimes task force to investigate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a zero tolerance for anti-Semitism in NY and we will hold the attacker accountable to the fullest extent of the law,\u201d he tweeted.<\/p>\n
CBS New York reported that a man brandishing a machete went into the rabbi\u2019s property in Monsey, New York State, an area with a large Jewish population, and knifed at least three people before fleeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was praying for my life,\u201d witness Aron Kohn, 65, told the New York Times, describing the knife used by the attacker as \u201cthe size of a broomstick\u201d.<\/p>\n
Yossi Gestetner, a co-founder of the OJPAC for the Hudson Valley region, told the New York Times one of the victims was a son of the rabbi.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house had many dozens of people in there,\u201d Gestetner said. \u201cIt was a Hanukkah celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Israel, President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin expressed his \u201cshock and outrage\u201d regarding the attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rise of anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem, and certainly not just the State of Israel\u2019s problem,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must work together to confront this evil, which is raising its head again and is a genuine threat around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police in the US have been battling a rash of attacks against Jewish targets in recent years.<\/p>\n
Six people, including two suspects, were killed in a Jersey City shooting at a kosher deli earlier this month, which authorities said was fueled in part by anti-Semitism.<\/p>\n
After Saturday\u2019s attack, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that he has spoken to longtime Jewish friends who are fearful of outwardly showing their faith.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will NOT allow this to become the new normal,\u201d he wrote. \u201cWe\u2019ll use every tool we have to stop these attacks once and for all.\u201d<\/p>\n