Amid War in Israel, NYC hosts Memorial to Mark 30 Years Since Antisemitic “Brooklyn Bridge Shooting” Terror Attack

A memorial event marking the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Brooklyn Bridge terror attack will take place on Friday, March 1st at 12 PM. The memorial ceremony will honor the memory of Ari Halberstam, a 16 year old hasidic Yeshiva student, who was murdered on the Brooklyn Bridge by an Islamic terrorist in the attack.

On March 1, 1994, a van carrying 15 Hasidic Jewish teenagers was ruthlessly gunned down by an Islamic terrorist on the Brooklyn Bridge, in one of New York City’s worst pre-9/11 terror incidents. Among the victims, and the sole fatality, was 16-year-old Ari Halberstam, whose mother Devorah became one of the nation’s leading anti-terror activists and educators.

The memorial ceremony will feature NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Devorah Halberstam, Ari’s mother, who has become a counter terrorism expert. Ms. Halberstam campaigned to have the investigation of her son’s murder classified as a terrorist incident, not a road rage incident as initially classified, by the Department of Justice and FBI.

Recognizing that at the time that law enforcement did not understand the threat and nature of terrorism, in 2001 Ms. Halberstam helped author New York State’s first laws to counter terrorism. Through her tireless advocacy efforts, Ms. Halberstam has played a pivotal role in promoting antiterrorism legislation to prevent future tragedies. The ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, where Friday’s event will be held, was renamed the Ari Halberstam Memorial Ramp in her son’s memory.