MID-ATLANTIC EDITION

Headlines

Woman Charged With Hate Crimes for Alleged Syringe Attacks on Jewish Men in NYC
NJ Congressman Apologizes for Comparing Rival to Adolf Hitler
Manhattan Diamond District Assaults Spur Hate Crime Charges

🎧 Click Here to Listen & Subscribe

Transcript

You're listening to Antisemitism Watch: Mid-Atlantic edition, I'm Rachel Adler.

We begin with serious allegations out of Manhattan, where a Brooklyn woman has been charged with hate crimes for allegedly assaulting two Jewish men with a syringe within minutes of each other. According to police and court records, 32-year-old Anna Mochalova faces multiple charges including assault and menacing as a hate crime, along with weapon possession and aggravated harassment. Prosecutors allege she targeted her victims because she believed them to be Jewish.

The first incident occurred on October 21st around 5:50 p.m. in the Diamond District, where Mochalova allegedly followed a 26-year-old man wearing Hasidic clothing, cornered him, and inflicted a stabbing sensation in his lower back, causing a laceration, according to charging documents. Sources indicate this victim is a rabbinical student from Crown Heights. Minutes later, police say Mochalova approached a second man wearing a yarmulke, allegedly bumping into him and causing a stinging sensation in his forearm. Court documents state Mochalova then threatened this victim in Russian, saying, "I have a gun. I'm going to kill you." Prosecutors say Mochalova then asked a bystander if he was Jewish; upon learning he was Muslim, she apologized and walked away, an interaction documented by multiple outlets. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office requested bail be set at $100,000 cash, but a judge set it at $50,000 cash. Mochalova is due back in court on October 29th. Her defense attorney has argued there may be an issue with identification.

These attacks have rattled business owners and residents in the Diamond District, a neighborhood with a significant Jewish population. As reported by CBS News, one business owner expressed fear that the suspect might be released soon. The incident occurs amidst a backdrop of rising hate crimes in New York City, where antisemitic incidents account for over 50% of all reported hate crimes this year, according to NYPD data, though antisemitic hate crimes saw a slight decline compared to last year according to Q3 figures.

In other news, U.S. Representative Donald Norcross of New Jersey has apologized after comparing fellow Congressman Jeff Van Drew to Adolf Hitler at a Democratic rally. According to reporting by VINnews, Norcross made the remarks while mocking Van Drew, including comments about his appearance and a handkerchief. After the Philadelphia Inquirer contacted him, Norcross issued a statement through a spokesperson saying he "went too far" and any implications were unintended. Van Drew, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican in 2019, called the comments "rough and inappropriate." The comparison has drawn criticism for trivializing the Holocaust.

I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch: Mid-Atlantic edition.

For broader coverage of antisemitism across the United States and around the world, listen to Antisemitism Watch at clockwork media dot org slash A W.

Follow Antisemitism Watch Mid-Atlantic in your podcast app so you don’t miss the next update.
This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.

🎧 Click Here to Listen & Subscribe

Sources:
- cnn.com: https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/us/nyc-jewish-attack-hate-crime
- columbiaspectator.com: https://www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2026/10/25/letter-to-the-editor-oelbaum-misunderstands-morningside-heights/
- cbsnews.com: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/woman-arrested-manhattan-syringe-attack-jewish/
- youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCgwKm7kxgU
- newjersey.news12.com: https://newjersey.news12.com/brooklyn-woman-faces-slew-of-hate-crime-charges-in-back-to-back-manhattan-attacks
- vinnews.com: https://vinnews.com/2026/10/25/lawyer-claims-mistaken-identity-in-alleged-hate-crime-attacks-on-rabbi-and-jewish-man-in-midtown/
- ground.news: https://ground.news/article/woman-charged-with-hate-crimes-in-attack-on-two-jewish-men-in-nyc
- kten.com: https://www.kten.com/news/national/woman-charged-with-hate-crimes-in-attack-on-two-jewish-men-in-nyc/article_9a82e4ee-5cf2-57b5-8d43-02dc6dd5f6bd.html
- yahoo.com: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/brooklyn-woman-arrested-hate-crime-183101410.html
- ground.news: https://ground.news/article/suspect-arrested-in-attack-on-crown-heights-bochur-in-manhattan
- vinnews.com: https://vinnews.com/2026/10/25/democrat-donald-norcross-apologizes-after-comparing-van-drew-to-hitler-at-new-jersey-rally/

If you've witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident, report it to your local Jewish Federation:

In a true emergency, call 911 first.

• Middlesex & Monmouth, NJ — Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey: Report an incident

• Greater MetroWest, NJ (Essex, Morris, Union, Somerset) — Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ: Report an incident

• Northern NJ (Bergen, Hudson, Passaic) — Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey: Report an incident

• Greater Philadelphia — Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia: Report an incident

• NYC, Long Island, Westchester & Rockland — UJA-Federation of New York: Responding to antisemitism