Jewish communities in NYC call for condemnation of hate after recent attacks

Two incidents in New York City, just one day apart, during Hanukkah have Jewish communities on edge and calling for the condemnation of hate.

An Orthodox Jewish man was confronted on a subway in one incident, and a Jewish man was stabbed in a separate incident.

Subway assault, stabbing remain under investigation

On Monday, video captured the moment a man grabs 20-year-old Menachem Raichman, an Orthodox Jewish man, by the collar of his jacket with force on the southbound 3 train heading to Crown Heights.

Friends of the victims tell CBS News New York that right before a witness hit record, the two suspects yelled "f*** the Jews" and "I'll kill you."

The NYPD says this case is being investigated as an assault but say they do not have evidence it was a bias-based attack.

Some members of the Jewish community are disputing that claim.

"It was an antisemitic incident. That's clear," said Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, who said he knows the victim. "It's clear on the video that the attacker who attacked [Raichman] said a derogatory term against Jews. He said it clearly. There's an audio of it."

On Tuesday, just one day after the train altercation, a cell phone camera captured a heated argument outside a synagogue at the corner of Kingston Avenue and Lincoln Place in Crown Heights.

Elias Rosner, 35, said a stranger stabbed him in the chest and left him bleeding.

Police said the stabbing is being investigated as a hate crime, adding that the suspect made repeated anti-Jewish comments.

The NYPD asks the public to contact Crime Stoppers if they have any information related to either incident.

"Light will always win over darkness"

On Wednesday night, Raichman spoke out at a menorah lighting ceremony in Brooklyn.

"I never thought something like this will happen to me in New York," he said.

He lit a candle outside the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, home to a shul, a place many say represents their fight against antisemitism.

Some at Wednesday's ceremony said the Jewish community in Crown Heights is still in shock from Sunday's massacre in Australia that left 15 dead at a Hanukkah celebration.

Despite the fear many say they feel, they say they're determined to bring light to the darkness.

"I chose to light this menorah to show that light will always win over darkness," Raichman said.