Jewish Man Stabbed Near His Heart Speaks Out After Brooklyn Antisemitic Attack [WATCH]

A Jewish New Yorker described how he was stabbed just centimeters from his heart during an antisemitic attack on a Brooklyn street, an incident that police are investigating as a hate crime and that occurred during the Hanukkah holiday.

Elias Rosner, 35, a member of the Lubavitch Hasidic community in Crown Heights, said the attack unfolded Tuesday afternoon after he left a temple and encountered a man shouting antisemitic threats.

A man screamed antisemitic slurs at a group of Jews in Crown Heights.

This is the end of a long pipeline.

Propaganda.
Permission.
Action.

Minutes later, Elias Rosner was bleeding on the sidewalk, stabbed in the chest outside synagogue on Chanukah.

This did not come from… pic.twitter.com/sanFP30ipZ

— Jews Fight Back 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JewsFightBack) December 17, 2025

In an interview with The Post on Wednesday, Rosner said the suspect made explicit statements before launching the attack.

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“I’m going to kill a Jew today,” the man said, according to Rosner.

Rosner said he first noticed the suspect while standing in a crowd of Jewish people.

“I was waiting in a crowd of Jewish people and this guy started spouting stuff,” Rosner recalled.

According to Rosner, the man continued making violent statements.

“I’m going to kill Jewish people, I’m going to kill a Jew today, I don’t give a f**k … We wouldn’t be in this mess if the Holocaust had happened,” the man said, as recalled by Rosner.

Rosner said the man appeared serious and that he chose not to look away.

“I guess I was the one guy that had the bravery to look him in the eye,” he said.

Rosner said the suspect appeared to anticipate a confrontation.

“So, he was waiting. He set a trap up for me a block ahead. He came around the corner and it just started happening,” Rosner said.

The stabbing occurred around 4 p.m. at the corner of Kingston Avenue and Lincoln Place, according to police. Rosner was stabbed once in the chest.

The NYPD said the attack is being investigated as an antisemitic hate crime. The incident took place on the third night of Hanukkah.

Rosner said he narrowly escaped with his life and credited his clothing with preventing a fatal injury.

He said a sweater helped stop the blade before it reached his heart.

Rosner works at a pop-up Hanukkah donut shop on Kingston Avenue and said he has training in martial arts.

He said that training influenced how he reacted when confronted with the knife.

“So, he brandishes his knife … I’ve been standing all day, and between fight, freeze and flight. I really only had to choose between freeze and fight, and I chose to fight,” Rosner said.

“I believe in standing up to bullies,” he said.

“I knew it was on. I luckily had taken off my sweater to use as a sarong to catch the blade. I could just tell he wasn’t going to be doing anything fancy…”

“I was able to catch most of the force of the blade with the sweater and that’s basically what saved my life,” Rosner said.

Rosner suffered a deep gash near his heart but was able to walk away without serious injury.

He was treated at Kings County Hospital and later released.

As of Wednesday, the attacker had fled the scene and remained at large.

The NYPD released surveillance footage of the attack and images of the suspect.

NEW YORK: NYC police are searching for a suspect accused of stabbing a 35-year-old Jewish man in the chest in Crown Heights while making antisemitic statements. The victim was treated at a hospital; the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating. pic.twitter.com/eQpihtXnYd

— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) December 17, 2025

Police described the suspect as wearing blue jeans and a black varsity jacket with the word “Genuine” on the back and the number “91” on the sleeve.

Rosner said he believes the attack reflects a broader increase in antisemitic sentiment following Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which he said has affected neighborhoods throughout New York City, including college campuses and the subway system.

In recent weeks, the city’s Jewish population, the largest in the world outside of Israel, has experienced multiple antisemitic incidents, including physical assaults, verbal harassment, and vandalism.

“It used to be when I was a kid we’d come out from a party late at night, and the worst thing we had to worry about was, ‘stop and frisk,’” Rosner said.

“Nowadays, it’s a lot tougher, but my motto is, ‘If you stay ready, you ain’t got to be ready.’”

Despite heightened concern, NYPD data show that anti-Jewish hate crimes were down 9% this year through Monday compared to the same period in 2024.

Police statistics show that 305 of the 550 total hate crimes reported this year targeted Jewish residents or property.

In 2024, police reported 646 bias incidents, 334 of which were classified as antisemitic.

Rosner said he believes confronting hatred remains necessary.

“Here in America, everybody has a right to live free of oppression,” he said, “and we also have to stand up to bullies who are trying to take that away from people.”