By COLlive reporter
The federal government has agreed to open a case to investigate and prosecute the brutal attack on a Chasidic Jewish man two weeks ago in Crown Heights, COLlive.com has learned.
The violent attack took place in August when 63-year old Rabbi Avraham Gopin was attacked by a man who threw a large brick at him as he exercised in Lincoln Terrace Park in Crown Heights.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, and will be prosecuted through the US Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York, community activist Devorah Halberstam was informed. Halberstam has been in talks with the FBI about the alarming uptick in local hate crimes over the past months.
Halberstam said she recently accompanied officials of the FBI during their visit with Rabbi Gopin, adding that the FBI will be taking on the investigation.
“This is a very significant, historic case,” Halberstam told COLlive.com. “This is the first hate crimes case in New York State ever opened by the Federal Government.”
Speaking to COLlive.com on Sunday, Rabbi Gopin said, “I am hopeful that with the federal government taking on the case, the man who did this terrible thing will be caught.”
“I have no doubt he was determined to kill me,” he states. “He was very fast and a good fighter. I had a miracle from G-d that I was able to survive.”
Gopin added: “This man is very dangerous – he must be caught and locked up. They have to catch him and punish him, not just let him out through a ‘revolving door.'”
Wishing them best of luck
BH
Hashem is the ultimate one to give justice, but finally, good to see that anti semitism is being taken seriously, perhaps this will deter other attackers, and motivate the police to take stronger action. Sorry that Rabbi Gopin had to be the one to suffer to get this action, may it be a kapparah!
Publish a map of where the security cameras are and then ask for more cameras until the criminals can’t walk anywhere without being caught on video. I don’t hear any elected officials offering some of their discretionary public funds for more cameras. Cameras on every street corner, in every apartment building receiving public funds, with simulcasting to the NYPD. Safety trumps privacy.
Footage of criminal activity has not been leading to a concerted effort to apprehend- that’s the bigger problem. And why is there no foot patrol and almost no vehicle patrol except for a week or two after a crime r”l?
Thank you Mrs Devorah Halberstam for your advocacy and support for our CH community.
We have the gift of having you as our voice.
Loads of Gratitude!
Finally we are bypassing local resources that have just not yielded results.. for whatever reason.