NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 31: People walk through the Orthodox Jewish section of the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn on December 31, 2019 in New York City. Five Orthodox Jews were stabbed at a synagogue on Saturday evening in the upstate New York town of Monsey. Tensions remain high in Jewish communities following a series of attacks and incidents in recent weeks. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) One of the victims of the Dec. 28 stabbings in Monsey, N.Y., opened his eyes after being in a coma for nearly 60 days, a fellow rabbi and community liaison of the Ramapo, N.J., Police Department, reported on social media.
Rabbi Yisroel Kahan, also the executive director of the Oizrim Jewish Council, a group that builds relations between the Jewish community and government officials, tweeted that Rabbi Josef Neumann, 72, “has opened his eyes, and is showing other signs of improvement. Keep praying for a full recovery.”
Give thanks to the lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. #MonseyStabbing victim Joseph Neuman has opened his eyes, and is showing other signs of improvement. Keep praying for a full recovery.
הודו לה' כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו
— Rabbi Yisroel Kahan🇬🇧 (@ykahan) February 25, 2020
Neumann was one of the five people injured in the attack; he was stabbed several times in the head, neck and arm and the weapon penetrated his skull, resulting in brain damage. His family had announced that doctors told family members that Neumann might not regain consciousness.
“When people ask, ‘Is he awake yet? Is he talking to you guys?’ and all I want to do is yell: ‘Do you understand the prognosis right now is that he really may not ever speak again or wake up or walk?’ ” Nicky Kohen, Neumann’s daughter, said in a Jan. 2 press conference. “[The doctors] just don’t have hope. As a family, we do have hope.”
The news of Neumann opening his eyes was celebrated on Twitter.
“Thankful for this positive development,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted. “Everyone at @ADL is praying for him and his family as he continues his road to recovery.”
This is promising news. 72 year-old Monsey stabbing victim opens his eyes after 59 days in a coma. Thankful for this positive development. Everyone at @ADL is praying for him and his family as he continues his road to recovery. https://t.co/AqZzLBGFh0
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) February 27, 2020
StandWithUs Co-Founder and CEO Roz Rothstein similarly tweeted: “FANTASTIC NEWS!!! Prayers work! Monsey stabbing victim (the most serious victim) has opened his eyes. Wow.”
FANTASTIC NEWS !!! Prayers work! Monsey stabbing victim (the most serious victim) has opened his eyes. Wow. https://t.co/KkSD4vFp31
— Roz Rothstein (@RozRothstein) February 26, 2020
The attack took place on the seventh night of Hanukkah at the home of Chasidic Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, where about 100 people gathered to celebrate the holiday.
Grafton Thomas, 37, was arrested for the stabbings and faces federal hate crime charges and charges of attempted murder; he has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Michael Sussman, Thomas’ attorney, announced on Jan. 27 that a psychiatrist deemed Thomas mentally unfit to stand trial. Thomas’ family has said that he has a history of mental illness, saying in a statement shortly after the stabbings, “We believe the actions of which he is accused, if committed by him, tragically reflect profound mental illness for which … [for] Grafton has received episodic treatment before being released.”
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.