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Bochurim in Drunk Altercation Charged with Hate Crime

The two Israeli Bochurim involved in a drunk altercation with an off-duty auxiliary police officer late Shabbos afternoon in Crown Heights were charged with a hate crime.

The altercation occurred after the 56-year-old African-American man confronted the two heavily intoxicated young men and told them to quiet down and quit making a ruckus.

The charges reflect the DA’s acceptance of the victim’s claims that the two hurled a variety of racial epithets at him during the altercation, something several witnesses at the scene – both Jewish and African-American – told a CrownHeights.info reporter did not occur.

The alleged victim did not sustain any significant injuries as a result of the altercation, and refused medical treatment at the scene.

Following a two-day investigation by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Units, the incident was ruled a hate crime. 21-year-old Samuel Brendler and 22-year-old Ahrone Kofkase are being charged with assault as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon.

The two Israeli men were arraigned in Brooklyn Court, with bail set at $5,000 each. They are set to appear back in court on Friday, September 5.

22 Comments

  • ETZ Haim

    This the result of wholesale bringing of Israeli bochurim and the drinking culture we have.

    Those who feel it is chassidish or macho to make kiddush on mashke are fully responsible.

  • These days

    Hey it’s you choice to live in the HUD either get out or “get together “like they do in Williamsburg ! U know this would NEVER happen there !

  • I never post!

    Its only considered a hate crime so quickly when a Jew allegedly has a fight with a non Jew. Turn it around and it takes forever for the Hate crime unit to make a decision which is usually just an attempted robbery.

    • yup

      I agree! In this instance it’s considered a hate crime, but when a jew gets punched, its just a roudy teenager looking for trouble :(
      Hashem help us!!

  • let me understand

    when Men women and children are beaten and knocked to the ground and have their cell phones stolen, and cursed at the same time not only its not a hate crime but the NYPD make no effort in finding those responsible but when a Jew is drunk and bumps into a black person he is charged with a hate crime

    • All wrong

      Unless they say something offensive to your religion or race it is not considered a hate crime. All those who get attacked are never able to prove that they said something about who they are. These 2 guys did and they do deserve they jail time (just saying it like it is). DInah HaMalchusa Dinah even in a city where they dont prosecute your allegations against someone else. It never makes it right to do what they did.

      STOP BEING THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF!!

    • Not a hate crime!

      To All wrong: Read the peice. The racial epithets were made up by the victim!!
      “The charges reflect the DA’s acceptance of the victim’s claims that the two hurled a variety of racial epithets at him during the altercation, something several witnesses at the scene – both Jewish and African-American – told a CrownHeights.info reporter did not occur.”

  • Criminal possession of a weapon?!

    “Criminal possession of a weapon”? On Shabos? What kind of a charge is this?

  • Disappointed

    With the new District Attorney,
    He seemed different and promised he would be fair.
    Guess we were taken in with that one!7

  • A concerned citizen

    It is absolutely outrageous. I know many here feel; well, they shouldn’t have gotten drunk or they’re just Israeli Bochurim…who cares. You are dead wrong.
    In my opinion this was a set-up. Picture this; two Bochurim talking loudly together, minding their own business, this “off duty Auxiliary cop” intentional get’s in their way and provokes them by telling them to tone it down…..they had no idea he is -at times -an “Auxiliary cop”. Imagine it would be the other way, Two loud (Drunk) teenagers walking down the street and a White man tells them to tone it down…we all know what the outcome would be. We must not remain silent. This is an outrage.
    We are on the precipice of another 1991. When a white Jew accidentally hits an African American in a motor vehicle, there is an immediate mob looking for revenge, and all kind of perceived grievances.
    When it happens the other way, there will not be a commotion, because we all understand accidents happen. The same with crime – Jews being attacked all the time, yet not a whimper from anyone, and NO hate crime charges. But when there is the slightest altercation and what they did was wrong, but according to the article all witnesses agree there were no racial epithets, within TWO days we have a hate crime charged. Unless this is stopped, we will have lost it – if we haven’t already. We will be held under a boot right here in Crown Heights. Our children will ask us where were you when all this outrage was occurring. We will have nothing to answer.

    • Milhouse

      Telling drunken teenagers to tone it down is not a provocation; not if he’s black and they’re Jewish, and not the other way around either. Any person has the right to tell rowdy teenagers to be quiet, and should not expect to be assaulted. Yes, we know that that’s not what would happen if a Jew were to do this to black teenagers; but that is the problem, not the reverse.

      You are correct, though, about the “hate” aspect. If some black teenagers hit a Jewish man for telling them to be quiet, the DA would never say the assault was motivated by hatred; he would say it was motivated by their being punks, and the victim getting in their way. Therefore the same should be true here. Whether they called him names is irrelevant; even if they did, that doesn’t make the crime motivated by hatred; the crime was motivated by the same thing that motivated the alleged slurs, if there were any: the victim getting in their way.

      Remember that calling people names is not a crime. It is perfectly legal to call anyone whatever you want, and you cannot get in trouble for it. What is a crime is hitting someone, for any reason, but if you hit him because of his race then you get a worse sentence.

  • Ma Rabbi

    When these 2 bochrim were approached by the black man who told them to be quiet then its a ” hate crime”
    but yesterday when a black hoodlum hit a Jewish 5 year old and his father its not a hate crime.
    Something stinks here and the leaders of the Frum community must ask for a meeting with new DA Ken Thompson and straighten this out.

  • Somethign must be done

    We cannot be quiet. We must protect our own.

    This is outrageous!!!!!!!

  • protest

    We need to really protest, with a turnout the size of a gimmel tammuz eastern parkway video. but all we ever get is about 20 – 30 people. That’s why this happens, because we don’t ever protest.

  • an idea

    I strongly think some frum Jewish men should join the police force and a Jew should run for president!
    It’s time we put some frum Jews in charge!

  • THINK about it!

    What did a 56 year old man walking his dog do to warrant a beating from two 20 year old drunk men?
    If the situation was reversed what penalty would you ask for? There is a lesson to learn here fellow Jews and that’s not everything a Jew does can be rationalized or excused.

  • Chillul Hashem! Oy

    Why do we have drunk bochurim? We are Jews and chabad chassidim, we are better than everyone else. And we show that we are because we don’t make these headlines! The issue isn’t about being a hate crime, the issue is when you have rowdy drunk (probably underage) bochurim bothering a non Jew it will be marked as something much worse than it actually is.

    It is our responsibility to stop allowing alcohol and to rebuke anyone in our own community that disgrace us