Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, whose Monsey home was invaded by a machete-wielding attacker during Hanukkah, delivers a blessing before Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address; Jan. 8,
ALBANY – Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg praised the “resilience of the Jewish people” Wednesday, less than two weeks after a machete-wielding attacker injured five people inside his Monsey home.
Rottenberg addressed the aftermath of the Hanukkah attack as he delivered a blessing ahead of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address, held Wednesday afternoon at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.
The rabbi, who heads Congregation Netzach Yisroel next to his home in the Rockland County hamlet, spoke of the victims of the attack, including his adult son and Josef Neumann, a great-grandfather who was left comatose with a fractured skull.
He also spoke with pride of his congregants, who continued their Hanukkah celebration the next day in spite of the horror of the attack.
Rottenberg is the Kossoner Rebbe of Monsey, a hamlet home to many Orthodox Jews.
“I will never forget the horror of that night, but I will also never forget how we continued to celebrate after that act, how we continued to rejoice in the miracle of Hanukkah,” Rottenberg said.
“I will never forget the resilience on display that night and in the following days, the resilience of the Jewish people and the resilience of New York.”
Grafton Thomas, a 37-year-old Orange County resident, remains held on $5 million bail in connection with the attack.
He was charged with attempted intentional murder charges and federal hate crimes after investigators found references to Jews, Hitler and Nazi culture in a journal in his home and his search history on his phone.
During his blessing, Rottenberg praised state officials and police for their quick work in tracking Thomas down.
“I will never forget how in the face of tragedy, we were blessed by God in the miraculous fashion in which the attacker was subdued, which limited what could have been a far worse event,” he said.
Cuomo recognizes rabbi, hero
Early in his speech, Cuomo recognized Rottenberg and Josef Gluck, a 32-year-old Monsey resident credited with using a wooden table to help put an end to the attack.
The governor called the Monsey attack “intolerable,” vowing to defend the Orthodox Jewish people from anti-Semitism.
“I want you to know that I speak for all the people of the state of New York when I say we stand in solidarity and love with you and your community,” Cuomo said. “It is appalling what happened.”
Cuomo used his speech to reiterate his call for a law bolstering penalties for hate crimes that result in mass casualties, making them punishable by life in prison without parole.
He also called for a funding boost for State Police’s hate crimes task force, as well as bolstering tolerance education in schools.
“New York is not New York without the Jewish community,” Cuomo said. “Period.”
