A Jewish man who was stabbed on Manhattan’s Upper West Side had recently moved [1] from New York City to Florida, reportedly at least partly because he had seen enough of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s anti Israel posture and the city’s ugly surge in antisemitism.
Moshe Yezhak Grunhaus, 50, was allegedly attacked Thursday after leaving a synagogue near Amsterdam Avenue and West 86th Street.
Police say the suspect, Raul Morales, was armed with a screwdriver and repeatedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the violent episode.
Grunhaus had already left New York for Surfside, Florida, near Miami, according to the report.
He was only back in Gotham for a few days to clear out his apartment, which is a grim little snapshot of where the city now stands.
A source told JNS that frustration with Mamdani was part of the reason Grunhaus decided to leave the city for good.
For many Jewish New Yorkers, that is not exactly a mystery wrapped in a riddle.
“It makes sense, honestly,” a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous told The Post Saturday.
“I mean, given the hatred that is being spoken by our mayor about towards the Jewish community, he’s not welcoming. He’s not encouraging people to be proud of their Judaism here, and it’s very obvious.”
The neighbor continued: “I mean, we all know what he was screaming when he attacked those people. He said, ‘Allahu Akbar So, like, are you kidding me?
Another resident was just as blunt about the climate in the city.
“I think the mayor is definitely aggravating the negative side of it. He’s saying things that he doesn’t have the authority to say. Like he wants to arrest the Prime Minister of Israel.”
That same resident added, “People who wear kippahs definitely have to be more cautious.”
In a city run by progressives who never run out of press conference language, that sentence should embarrass every official who helped create this mess.
Grunhaus had been publicly focused on antisemitism in New York, often tagging Mamdani while sharing stories from people who said they had faced anti Jewish hatred.
One post from the Israeli Consulate described a Jewish man and his family being confronted in broad daylight.
“I hope your kids die,” the June 28 repost read.
“That’s what a stranger said to Rami Feinstein and his family in broad daylight in New York. Not online. Not anonymously. In the middle of a New York street. This is what antisemitism looks like when hatred becomes acceptable, normalized and ignored.”
Grunhaus also posted about the Israelis murdered by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks.
In October 2025, he wrote, “Standing here @ Mount Herzl Cemetery 2 years after the October 7th massacre (Hebrew calendar, day after but first day of funerals for the nation),”
He added, “Commemorating our heroes who were the first of many to sacrifice their lives to protect our nation. Never Again!”
A month later, he posted photos of two Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.
Mamdani, asked about the issue at an unrelated Bronx event, gave the usual official response.
He said, “There’s no tolerance for bigotry,” while also acknowledging that Jewish New Yorkers remain the majority of hate crime victims across the city.
A rally organized by End Jew Hatred was planned for Sunday morning at 509 Amsterdam Avenue to “unite against hate on the Upper West Side” and call out Mamdani.
A flyer posted to X did not bother with polite political theater, declaring, “Blood is on Mamdani’s hands,”
Yitz Landes, 37, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, said Jews in the city “are on edge,” according to the report.
His mother lives in the building next door to the apartment Grunhaus was clearing out.
Like Grunhaus, Landes said he “always wear a kippa in the city. I would feel weird not to. I don’t want to give up wearing it publicly, and I hope I can continue to do it.”
Morales, described as an ex con, allegedly stabbed 57 year old Chok Sung a few blocks away before the attack on Grunhaus.
He was arraigned on two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault and one count of attempted assault, all being prosecuted as hate crimes.
A judge ordered Morales to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, and he is due back in court on July 30.
Both victims are stable, with Sung still hospitalized and Grunhaus released Friday, while New Yorkers are left asking why basic public safety now feels like a luxury item.