U.S. President Donald Trump urged Americans on Sunday to unite against anti-Semitism, a day after an intruder stabbed five people at a rabbi's home in New York during a gathering to celebrate Hanukkah.
Five people were stabbed and wounded by a machete-wielding suspect as they gathered at a rabbi's home north of New York City to celebrate the seventh night of Hanukkah on Saturday evening.
An eyewitness films the scene of the Monsey attack
The alleged perpetrator, Grafton E. Thomas, 37, was on Sunday charged with five counts of attempted murder.
"The anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York, on the 7th night of Hanukkah last night is horrific," Trump tweeted.
"We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery."
The attack is the latest in a slew of acts of aggression against American Jews, including last year's attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue, which left 11 congregants dead after a white supremacist gunman entered the establishment carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and two handguns and opened fire while yelling "all Jews must die."
Earlier this month, four people were killed during a shootout inside a kosher supermarket in New Jersey, including one police officer and three civilians.
A report published in April by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents in the United States in 2018. This was a slight decrease from the 1,986 incidents recorded the year before, the number of anti-Semitic assaults more than doubled from 17 to 39.
As he did Sunday, Trump denounced anti-Semitism after previous attacks, but critics say his rhetoric has played a part in stoking tensions that led to some, if not all, of the attacks.
Earlier this month, several Jewish groups criticized Trump over a speech to the Israeli American Council National Summit in Florida, accusing him of using anti-Semitic stereotypes.
In his speech, Trump suggested that many of the attendees at the event were wealthy and that their wealth would guide their votes to him in the 2020 presidential election.
Most American Jews are traditionally Democratic voters.