Attacks on Jews in Brooklyn have community on edge

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Four recent attacks on Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn, including two over the weekend, have the community on edge.

"There has been a shocking number of unprovoked assaults on religious Jewish New Yorkers in recent weeks," said New York City Councilman Chaim Deutsch.

In the most recent, a 33-year-old man was approached and sucker-punched in the back of the head as he stood on Throop Avenue.

In another attack, a 9-year-old boy who was walking home was attacked and punched repeatedly in the face by a stranger.

In another incident, a man was attacked as he walked home from services at a synagogue.

The Anti-Defamation League is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the attacks.

"We remain increasingly concerned by the number of alleged unprovoked assaults on Orthodox Jewish individuals in Brooklyn in recent weeks," said Evan R. Bernstein, Regional Director of ADL for New York and New Jersey.

The FBI says, nationally, hate crimes against Jews rose 33 percent last year.  The NYPD says that anti-Semitic attacks are the most common hate crime in New York City and are up nearly 25 percent.