Man Charged With Hate Crimes After Assaults During Shabbat Service at NYC Synagogue  

By The Media Line Staff  

A 46-year-old Bronx man was charged with multiple hate crimes after allegedly disrupting Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in New York City on Friday night, assaulting a congregant and a security guard while shouting antisemitic and racist insults.  

Larry Montes was ordered held on $30,000 bond during an arraignment before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Janice Chen just before midnight Saturday. Prosecutors had requested $150,000 bond.  

Montes faces “two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime, along with other charges,” Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. He has a history of mental health issues and previous robbery charges.  

Montes initially sat through several minutes of the service before approaching the rabbi’s platform.  

“I am Hashem!” he shouted, using a Hebrew term referring to God, according to a criminal complaint.  

Video posted on X showed congregants reacting as Montes raised his fist and shouted, “Do you know who I am?” Two women performing a song moved away as he reached the bimah before turning and heading back down the aisle with a security guard behind him.  

Montes allegedly struck a 63-year-old woman in the face, splitting her lip and knocking her to the ground. An NYPD spokesperson told CNN that she suffered a small cut to her lip and injuries to her right forearm.  

Prosecutors said Montes then directed an anti-Black slur at a 65-year-old security guard before spitting in his face and headbutting him. A security guard restrained Montes as he moved down the aisle, WCBS reported.  

Montes also called congregants “swine” and “fake Jews,” prosecutors said.  

“It was a religious thing. It was about religion,” Montes said after his arrest, according to the criminal complaint. He also said he was “acting on instinct.”  

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the attack Friday night.  

“This despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe,” Mamdani said on X, adding that New Yorkers must be able to practice their religion without fear of violence.