Hate Crime Charges Filed After Shabbat Disruption at Manhattan Synagogue
A Bronx man faces hate crime charges after disrupting Shabbat services and assaulting two people at Manhattan's Central Synagogue.
Hate crime charges have been filed against a 46-year-old Bronx man following a violent disruption at Manhattan's Central Synagogue on Friday night. Larry Montes allegedly interrupted Shabbat services and struck two people as security escorted him out.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement that Montes hit a congregation member, damaged synagogue property, and then spat at and head-butted a security team member. A police sergeant working a paid detail at the synagogue took him into custody immediately. No serious injuries were reported.
Montes faces two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime, among other charges.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the assault, which occurred during a livestreamed service, "horrifying," and said every New Yorker must be able to practice their religion without fear of violence. Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and Senator Chuck Schumer also condemned the attack.
Additional police security was added, and Shabbat services continued on Saturday. Rabbi Rebecca Thau acknowledged the unsettling contrast between the sacredness of the service and the intrusion of violence, telling congregants, "We might want to be focusing on the beauty of our liturgy and the sanctity of Shabbat, and somehow the feeling of the imperfect and cruel world keeps flooding in."