A New Jersey rabbi was attacked in a random assault while standing outside his home on Sunday, police said.
Cops said Jeffrey Zicchinella, 40, was driving past the home of Rabbi Avraham Wein in Bergenfield around 2 p.m. when he hopped out of his car and began attacking the rabbi, NorthJersey.com reported.
A bystander intervened and stopped the assault, Bergenfield police said in a Facebook post. Zicchinella was charged with two counts of simple assault.
“We take all reports of bias-motivated or hate-related incidents seriously and remain dedicated to ensuring that everyone in our Borough feels safe and respected,” police wrote. “At this time, preliminary findings indicate that this appears to be an isolated incident.”
Bergenfield police will be conducting extra patrols around homes and synagogues, the department said.
“This was a shameful act that has no place in Bergenfield,” Mayor Arvin Amatorio wrote on Facebook. “I strongly condemn this attack and make it clear that we will not tolerate violence in our town, against anyone, under any circumstances.”
The attack came two days before the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and shortly after the holiday of Yom Kippur, which was also marked by an attack in the U.K.
In that attack, a man killed two people and wounded multiple others by driving a vehicle into a group of people at a synagogue in Manchester and then stabbing victims at random.
