‘What Religion Are You?’ Thug Attacks Israeli Tourist Outside New York Kosher Joint, Spits on His Yarmulke, Bashes His Face and Vanishes

A bigoted brute is being sought after for sending an Israeli tourist to the ER for a brain bleed after roughing him up and desecrating his yarmulke outside of an upscale New York City kosher eatery. The victim, identified by an official as 59-year-old Rami Glikstein, was allegedly blocked from entering the Glatt Kosher eatery Mr. Broadway, in midtown Manhattan, just before 12:45 p.m. on Monday.“[Glikstein] was trying to enter our restaurant but this man wouldn’t let him,” the Mr. Broadway manager, who identified himself as KD, tells the Sun in an exclusive interview.Then things turned violent. “He threw [Glikstein’s] kippah on the floor,” he said. “He put his leg on it, [he] put it on the floor and he spit on it.”An Israeli tourist (wearing yarmulke) is accosted by this suspect who has not been identified. Mr. BroadwayThe manager of the eatery, known for its upscale Mediterranean cuisine and Hemish fare that has been serving customers since 1986, was able to review CCTV footage of the encounter showing the suspect, described by authorities as a black man standing about 6-feet-2, and weighing about 280 pounds. In one photo of the suspect secured by the Sun, the accused can be seen clad in a black jacket with a tactical-looking vest, and a black Von Dutch-branded baseball cap. Glikstein is standing with a beige kippah with a grey backpack, a light brown puffer coat and clutching a cup of coffee. “What religion are you,” the Israeli’s attacker allegedly sneered, before he flipped the yarmulke off his head. The brute allegedly sauntered off but then turned around and darted toward Glikstein, throwing and landing a combination of punches to his face and then finally stormed off. The assault occurred outside Mr. Broadway, an upscale midtown Manhattan kosher restaurant. Mr. BroadwayGlikstein was lying on the pavement when the eatery’s maître d’ and another colleague helped him up and took him to the expansive 250-seat dining room restaurant’s bathroom.“He got hit by the guy, so we brought him in,” KD confirmed. “We took him into the restaurant and he was so bloody and then we helped bring him to the ambulance.”The manager recalls Mr. Glikstein, who he believes works as a teacher, lost in a daze from what he suspects was a direct result from “hitting the concrete so hard.”The tourist was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was treated for a brain bleed as well as a gash and bruising to his face.The victim wrote a dramatic account of his ordeal on Facebook. FacebookHe is expected to recover. The NYPD Hate Crime Task force is probing the assault as a potential bias crime. In a statement, the Israeli consulate general of New York, Ofir Akunis, who met with Mr. Glikstein at his hospital bed — condemned the unprovoked beatdown that he contends isn’t isolated. “This attack is a direct result of the daily incitement taking place around the world — including in the United States — against Jews and against Israel. Lies, verbal violence, calls for another October 7 massacre, and the unrestricted spread of blood libels, such as the false Gaza narrative, influence many people, some of whom do not hesitate to commit physical attacks.” Rami Glikstein says he won’t let his attacker deter him from returning to the kosher restaurant. FacebookSo far in 2025, there have been 263 incidents categorized as antisemitic hate crimes in New York City. That is a decrease of 11 percent in 2025 compared to last year where there were 297, according to the latest NYPD crime statistics. Still, overall hate crimes are down 20 percent citywide compared to this time last year.

‘What Religion Are You?’ Thug Attacks Israeli Tourist Outside New York Kosher Joint, Spits on His Yarmulke, Bashes His Face and Vanishes

‘What Religion Are You?’ Thug Attacks Israeli Tourist Outside New York Kosher Joint, Spits on His Yarmulke, Bashes His Face and Vanishes

More from the New York Sun

Spyker Revives Its 2016 Supercar — and Makes It Uglier

A Marriage in Ruins as Ukraine Goes to War in an Excellent Lithuanian Drama

The Destrier Is the Most Beautiful Modern Bugatti

The End of Net Zero Is Great News for America’s Economy

In Latest Act of Resistance, Boston Mayor Warns Parking Garage Owners Against Leasing Spots to ICE

Nearly 200 Utah Students Awarded State-Funded Mental Health Benefits After Witnessing Charlie Kirk’s Murder

Decades of Losses Could Await Mamdani’s Municipal Food Markets, If Federal Track Record Is Any Guide

Cities Blame Iran War for Fluoride Shortages in Drinking Water

More from the New York Sun

Spyker Revives Its 2016 Supercar — and Makes It Uglier

A Marriage in Ruins as Ukraine Goes to War in an Excellent Lithuanian Drama

The Destrier Is the Most Beautiful Modern Bugatti

The End of Net Zero Is Great News for America’s Economy

In Latest Act of Resistance, Boston Mayor Warns Parking Garage Owners Against Leasing Spots to ICE

Nearly 200 Utah Students Awarded State-Funded Mental Health Benefits After Witnessing Charlie Kirk’s Murder

Decades of Losses Could Await Mamdani’s Municipal Food Markets, If Federal Track Record Is Any Guide

Cities Blame Iran War for Fluoride Shortages in Drinking Water