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NYC Policeman Fatally Shoots Armed Man in Synagogue

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

A New York City policeman shot and killed a knife-wielding man with a history of mental illness after he allegedly stabbed a student at a Brooklyn synagogue early this morning.

Officers rushed to Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters on Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood at about 1:41 a.m. following a report of a stabbing, the department said in a statement. Officer Timothy Donohue, who was manning a nearby command post, responded and saw Calvin Peters, 49, of Valley Stream, wielding a knife, police said.

Donohue repeatedly ordered Peters to drop the knife as other officers arrived on the scene, police said. Peters ultimately placed the knife on a nearby table, then picked it up and lunged, police said. Officer Roberto Pagan fired a single shot and struck Peters in the torso, they said. No other shots were fired.

Last nights event is deeply disturbing, RabbiYehuda Krinskysaid in a statement on Lubavitch.com. The synagogue is a place of study and worship, a sanctuary of outreach and love. We are working closely with the authorities in their ongoing investigation.

The attacker entered the synagogue at about 1:30 a.m. and began waving a knife and making loud threats against Jews, according to the statement. The stabbing victim, identified on the synagogues website as Israeli student Levi Rosenblatt, 22, was taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment of a wound to the left temple. Hes in stable condition, police said.

Peters was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Pagan, 29, who had been on the force for about six years and never previously been involved in a shooting, was taken to Methodist Hospital for tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. The knife, with a 4 1/2-inch blade, was recovered.

Videos of the incident posted on YouTube show Peters walking around the synagogue wielding a knife as officers urge him to drop the weapon and students attempt to calm him. A single shot can be heard out of the view of the camera.

Peters had visited the synagogue twice on the night before the shooting and been escorted from the premises both times, Police Commissioner William Bratton told reporters.

Peters had a history of mental illness and was removed from the street as an emotionally disturbed person four times in 2001 and 2002, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. He had been arrested 19 times since 1982, most recently for drugs in 2006, Boyce said.

Relatives told police Peters been diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 10 years ago, hadnt been taking medication and had been under some stress, Boyce said. Police reviewed his social media postings and found no indication the incident was a hate crime, he said.

Jewish Community Shaken Up After Stabbing At Brooklyn Synagogue

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

Hours after a man entered a prominent Brooklyn synagogue and stabbed a young rabbinical student before police shot and killed him, the community returned to the scene of the crime to pray.

I think most people are pretty shaken up. But the synagogue was full -- people were there, so that's a testament at the very least to the tenacity of the community, Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone, who lives in the neighborhood, told International Business Times about prayers held on Tuesday morning.

The assailant, identified as 49-year-old Calvin Peters, entered the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters on 770 Eastern Parkway at around 1:40 a.m. He then stabbed a 22-year-old Israeli rabbinical student, Levi Rosenblat, the New York Times reports.

Witnesses said they heard Peters say, Kill the Jews. Several individuals tried to intervene until the police arrived, according to Chabad-Lubavitch spokesman Rabbi Motti Seligson. Peters was shot and killed by police in an encounter that was videotaped by one witness.

We commend the heroic efforts of the individuals who were present and took immediate action. If not for their intervention the outcome could have been, G-d forbid, far worse, Seligson said in a written statement. We continue to pray for the young man, who is in stable condition.

Parts of the deadly encounter were filmed and shared with the media. One clip shows a police officer demanding that the assailant drop the knife. Peters is heard asking the officer Are you cool?" and "Do you want me to kill someone in here, yes or no?" before he puts the knife down on a table.

The officer then approaches Peters, telling him to put his hands up. At that point, Peters lunges for the weapon. Several other officers are seen surrounding Peters. The person shooting the video runs behind a divider and a gunshot is heard off camera, NBC New York reports.

While Peters was heard saying Kill the Jews, most community members are not necessarily seeing the attack as a hate crime.

Most people I've spoken to, myself included, think the person was obviously very disturbed, Lightstone said. That disturbance may have been possibly motivated by some hate -- but I would venture that such hate, if present, was deeply tied to his own mental state.

Most rabbis and religious leaders who have shared their thoughts on Twitter since the stabbing have offered prayers for the victim. Below is a roundup of how the community is reacting to the news:

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N.Y. Police Fatally Shoot Armed Man in Brooklyn Synagogue

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- A New York City policeman shot and killed a man armed with a knife inside a Brooklyn synagogue early this morning after he stabbed another man and lunged at officers who ordered him to drop the weapon, the police said.

Officers were called to Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights at about 1:41 a.m. for a report of a stabbing, the department said in a statement. An officer manning a command post at Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue responded and encountered Calvin Peters, 49, of Valley Stream, wielding a knife, police said.

The officer ordered Peters to drop the weapon as other officers arrived on the scene, police said. Peters placed the knife on a nearby table before picking it up and lunging at officers, one of whom fired one shot and struck the attacker in the torso, police said.

Peters was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The officer who shot him was taken to Methodist Hospital for treatment of tinnitus. The knife, with a 4 1/2-inch blade, was recovered at the scene.

The stabbing victim, identified on the synagogues website as Israeli student Levi Rosenblat, 22, was taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment of a stab wound to the left temple, where he was in stable condition, police said.

The attacker entered the synagogue at about 1:30 a.m., began waving a knife and shouting, according to Lubavitch.com.

Rabbis Statement

Last nights event is deeply disturbing, RabbiYehuda Krinskysaid on the website. The synagogue is a place of study and worship, a sanctuary of outreach and love. We are working closely with the authorities in their ongoing investigation and trust that they are doing absolutely everything to prevent other such senseless hate-attacks.

There were no indications the attack was linked to terrorism, Detective Marc Nell said today by telephone. Nobody answered the phone at the synagogue this morning.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net Joe Schneider, Charles Carter

NYPD shoot, kill man who stabbed person in synagogue

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

REUTERS/NYPD/handout A blood-stained nine-inch (23 cm) knife is seen after being recovered at the scene of a stabbing at a Brooklyn synagogue, in a picture provided by the New York Police Department December 9, 2014.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York police shot and killed a man armed with a knife early Tuesday after he stabbed a rabbinical student from Israel in the head in a Brooklyn synagogue, police and the synagogue said.

The man who was shot was black and the officer who did the shooting is Hispanic, a spokesman for the New York Police Department said. Several recent police killings of unarmed African-American men, and grand jury decisions not to indict the police officers involved, have triggered racially tinged protests over police use of force.

Police went to the world headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement about 1:40 a.m. EST (0640 GMT) and found the 49-year-old suspect with the knife in hand, the New York Police Department said in a statement.

"According to witnesses (the attacker) was heard saying repeatedly, 'Kill the Jews,'" Rabbi Motti Seligson of Chabad-Lubavitch said in the statement.

When police officers confronted him, the man complied with their demand to drop the knife but he picked it back up and began moving toward them. The officer shot once, hitting him in the torso. The man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Chabad-Lubavitch identified the stabbing victim as Levi Rosenblat, 22, who was studying in the synagogue when he was attacked. He was stabbed in the left temple and was in stable condition at the same hospital where his attacker died, police said.

In a video of the confrontation, the attacker walks up to and asks each of about a half dozen men dressed in Orthodox Jewish clothing, "Want me to kill you?"

The officer demands the attacker drop the knife or he will shoot and the men initially shout, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Police confirmed the video, which was posted to the New York Post website, was legitimate.

The knife was recovered at the scene and the investigation into the incident is continuing.

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NYPD shoot, kill man who stabbed person in synagogue

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Man who stabbed, wounded Israeli student in synagogue is killed by police

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

A member of the Chabad community walks through crime scene tape at the movement's headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Photo: AP

New York: A police officer has shot and killed a man inside the Brooklyn headquarters of the Chabad movement after the man stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli student and lunged at the officer with a knife, officials said.

Calvin Peters, 49, was killed by one shot from the handgun of a police officer after he entered the Crown Heights synagogue and attacked Levi Rosenblatt, 22, police said.

Mr Rosenblatt, who lives in Israel, was studying at about 1.40am inside the basement of the synagogue when Peters attacked him, police said. The synagogue is open 24 hours a day, according to spokesman Motti Seligson.

The Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn. The knife attack and subsequent fatal shooting took place in a basement room of the synagogue. Photo: AP

Mr Rosenblatt was listed in serious but stable condition late on Tuesday, New York mayor Bill de Blasio said. Peters was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital, officials said.

The attack unnerved many in a Crown Heights Hasidic community still on edge less than a month after two Palestinian cousins, armed with meat cleavers, knives and a handgun, killed four rabbis and a security guard inside a Jerusalem synagogue during morning prayers.

Witnesses said before he attacked Mr Rosenblatt, Peters made "anti-Jewish" remarks, said New York police Commissioner William Bratton, adding that the stabbing did not appear to be terrorism-related. A bystander filmed much of the three-minute confrontation between Peters and three officers.

Stabbing victim Levi Rosenblatt. Photo: Reuters

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4K UHD – Hasidic Jewish people marching and protesting – Video

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

4K UHD - Hasidic Jewish people marching and protesting
Male and female jewish march and protest with signs and flags in support for Palestine This clip is available for licensing in 4K UHD 2160p (3840 x 2160) or ...

By: The 4K Guy

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'Breaking Amish' Cast Thinks Hasidic Jews Are Amish | StarCelebrityTV – Video

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

#39;Breaking Amish #39; Cast Thinks Hasidic Jews Are Amish | StarCelebrityTV
On tonight #39;s episode of Breaking Amish, the new cast of young Amish people arrive in Brooklyn -- and when they see men walking around with beards and long coats -- they think they #39;re right...

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No terrorism link seen in Jewish center stabbing

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

A man with a history of mental illness slipped into the headquarters of a major Jewish organization in Brooklyn in the middle of the night and stabbed an Israeli student in the head as he was studying in the library.

Then, as the screaming, bloody victim was taken away, the attacker lunged at police with his knife and was shot and killed, authorities said.

Calvin Peters, 49, could be seen on amateur video waving the knife inside the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Crown Heights around 1:40 a.m. Tuesday after the attack on 22-year-old Levi Rosenblat. Rosenblat, wounded in the side of the head, was listed in stable condition.

Police said the stabbing was not believed to be connected to terrorism. But it shook the Jewish community, still reeling over an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue by two Palestinian cousins last month that left four worshippers and an officer dead.

"The entire Jewish community is impacted by these cruel and senseless attacks," said New York state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, whose Brooklyn constituents are largely Orthodox Jews. "How can we help but be reminded of the recent, horrible tragedy ... which left five innocent people dead?"

At least one witness said he heard Peters repeatedly saying, "Kill the Jews!" according to Rabbi Chaim Landa, a Chabad-Lubavitch spokesman.

Police were still interviewing witnesses but quoted Peters as saying instead, "I'm going to kill all of you." The case was not immediately classified as a possible bias crime.

Chabad-Lubavitch is a large, worldwide Hasidic movement that runs schools, synagogues and other institutions and reaches out to nonobservant Jews to encourage them to embrace their heritage and religious traditions. It is active on college campuses and in cities around the globe.

Peters had wandered into the building earlier Monday and was ushered out, then returned after midnight and asked: "Do you have any books in English?" before he was escorted out again, police said. The building, which also contains a synagogue, is open 24 hours a day.

Chabad-Lubavitch officials said security at the building was tightened after the stabbing. They would not say what measures were in place at the time of the attack.

New York police fatally shoot man who stabbed student in synagogue

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

A crime scene investigator, center, passes a member of the Lubavitch community as he enters Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic headquarters on Tuesday. Photograph: Mark Lennihan/AP

A man who stabbed a Jewish student in the side of the head in a prominent New York synagogue was shot dead by police after lunging at officers with a nine-inch blade.

Calvin Peters can be seen in a dramatic video obtained by the New York Post, where onlookers in the basement of the Chabad Lubavitch headquarters in Brooklyns Crown Heights neighborhood ask the suspect to put the knife down while an officer points his gun at the man.

The standoff took place after the 49-year-old man reportedly entered the synagogue at about 2am, asked for a Bible, walked out, and returned to stab a 22-year-old student in the side of the head, according to the Post. The student was conscious but bleeding profusely.

According to witnesses, the attacker repeatedly said Kill the Jews, Chaim Landa, a spokeswoman for Chabad Lubavitch, told the Associated Press. A lawyer for Peters family told the AP he had a history of bi-polar disorder.

Calvin Peters was a loving and devoted father, Jeffrey A St Clair said. And the family is quite frankly shocked and disappointed at what happened. Our prayers go out to the person that was injured. But we really ask that you respect our privacy and allow them to grieve.

The incident began around 1.40am; an officer on foot patrol in the neighborhood was flagged by a bystander and told that the man had already stabbed someone.

Inside the synagogue basement, the video shows an officer pointing his gun at the man as he holds a knife, and several Hasidic men ask the man to put the knife down, or set it on the table.

You gonna shoot me? You gonna shoot me, yo? the man with the knife asks an officer.

If you dont drop the knife I will, he says, as onlookers urge the armed man to, Put the knife [down], put the knife, put the knife.

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Man fatally shot after stabbing at NYC synagogue

Posted By richards on December 10, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) A man with a history of mental illness slipped into the headquarters of a major Jewish organization in Brooklyn in the middle of the night and stabbed an Israeli student in the head as he was studying in the library.