MONSEY – The December 2019 machete attack on a Jewish gathering in Monsey is still being mourned by officials. The attack on December 28, 2019, injured five people who were attending a Hanukkah party at 47 Forshay Road in Monsey. One elderly victim later died.
Grafton Thomas of Greenwood Lake was apprehended after the attack. The story can be found HERE.
This year, marking the solemn anniversary, lawmakers issued a statement. Rockland County Legislators Aron Wieder and Phil Soskin are remembering Josef Neumann, who died of injuries sustained two years ago during the brutal machete attack on people peacefully celebrating Hanukkah.
“Time has not erased the pain for the family and friends of Josef Neumann nor the fallout for the other victims, including those injured physically or mentally or both,” Legislator Wieder said. “It has not erased the shock experienced by members of the Jewish community at-large who felt personally attacked after a stranger showed up during what was supposed to be a joyous occasion and proceeded to carry out such hateful violence. But we continue to let the family of Josef Neumann, as well as the other victims of this attack, know that we support them and that Josef Neumann’s memory will always be a blessing.”
The alleged killer faces multiple charges involving the machete attack on Hasidic Jews attending a Hanukkah party at a rabbi’s house.
Josef Neumann, 72, later died from head and body wounds and four other men were injured. The alleged perpetrator has been receiving mental health care at an institution and thus far ruled unfit for trial. He is next scheduled to be in court on January 26, 2022.
“He was fit enough to go online and search for synagogues, then carry out his horrific deeds, specifically against Jews,” Legislator Soskin said. “The justice system should not overlook that fact because that would deny the reality of why Josef Neumann and the other victims were attacked and why Josef Neumann was killed.”
