Teen slashed in Brooklyn synagogue by 'emotionally disturbed' fellow congregant, NYPD says

The 22-year-old suspect, Krybus Shimon, is a fellow congregant of Yeshiva Gevoah Toldos, an Orthodox synagogue in Borough Park, the New York Police Department said.

A 14-year-old boy was slashed on Monday evening inside a Brooklyn synagogue by a suspect the police called an “emotionally disturbed person.”

The 22-year-old suspect, Krybus Shimon, is a fellow congregant of Yeshiva Gevoah Toldos, an Orthodox synagogue in Borough Park, the New York Police Department said.

He was taken into custody and charged on Monday with assault, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of a weapon.

The boy’s hand was slashed with a “cutting instrument,” and he was treated by emergency medical services on the scene, police said.

The incident is not currently being investigated as a hate crime, and it’s not yet clear what led to the slashing.

Borough Park hit by antisemitic vandalism

Borough Park is one of the largest Orthodox enclaves in the United States, home to about 96,000 Jews, according to UJA-Federation of New York.

In January, the neighborhood was hit with a spate of antisemitic vandalism. Over 70 swastikas and the words “Adolf Hitler” were sprayed over two days across Gravesend Park, a playground in Borough Park. Two 15-year-old boys were arrested for the vandalism and charged with aggravated harassment and criminal mischief as a hate crime.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last week announced a record $70 million in security funding for houses of worship, schools, community centers, and other nonprofit organizations that are vulnerable to hate crimes and attacks because of their ideology, beliefs, or mission.