Frightening Antisemitic Assault on Jewish Students Aboard NYC Subway

“No one helped us,” Atzarf said. “No one stood up. No one tried to block them.”

By United with Israel Staff

A late-night subway ride in New York City turned into a frightening antisemitic assault when a group of Chabad yeshiva students were verbally and physically attacked while traveling from Manhattan to Crown Heights in Brooklyn.

The students had just returned from Chanukah outreach activities in Manhattan when the incident unfolded aboard a No. 3 train. Shortly after departure, two men believed to be a father and son entered the subway car and began directing aggressive antisemitic slurs at the visibly Jewish students, according to eyewitnesses.

What began as verbal harassment quickly escalated. Mendy Atzarf, one of the students who was attacked, recounted the events in an interview with Israel’s C14.

“We had just spent hours spreading light and joy for Chanukah in Manhattan,” Atzarf said. “We got on the No. 3 train heading to Brooklyn, and two men boarded the car and began cursing and shouting horrific antisemitic insults at Jews.”

Concerned for their safety and hoping to document the encounter, Atzarf took out his phone and began recording.

“As soon as the younger one realized I was filming, he attacked me physically,” he said.

Footage from the incident shows chaos inside the subway car, with loud shouting, profanities, and explicit threats. At one point, one of the attackers is heard grabbing Atzarf by the throat and yelling, “I will kill one of you.”

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NYC Subway Attack And Explicit Death Threat

New York police are investigating an antisemitic assault on visibly Jewish riders returning from a Hanukkah event after video showed a suspect shoving one victim and issuing a direct death threat. pic.twitter.com/8OjhO2NsXq

— Eli Goldman | אלי גולדמן (@EliGoldman) December 16, 2025

“When I saw how dangerous it was becoming, I quickly put the phone in my pocket,” Atzarf said. “The camera kept recording. You can hear everything. You can feel the fear.”

Despite the escalating violence, witnesses said no passengers intervened.

“No one helped us,” Atzarf said. “No one stood up. No one tried to block them.”

One stop before Crown Heights, the students fled the train in panic and made their way to safety. A complaint was later filed with the New York Police Department, and authorities were notified of the attack.

As Chanukah continues, the attack on the New York subway joins a troubling series of antisemitic incidents, from the deadly terror attack in Sydney to violent protests targeting Jewish events in Amsterdam.

The holiday’s message is especially stark this year. Chanukah recalls how a small and outnumbered Jewish people stood firm against oppression and how light persisted even when darkness seemed overwhelming.

In the aftermath of the subway assault, Atzarf said the students refuse to be deterred. “They will not succeed in humiliating us,” he said. “We will continue to bring light into the darkness.”