What to Know
- Five people were stabbed at a rabbi's home on the seventh night of Hanukkah
- One of the victim's remains in critical condition and his family fears he may not wake up
- The alleged attacker is facing federal hate crime charges
A victim of Saturday's attack against the Jewish community in Monsey, New York remains in critical condition and his family now says he might not regain consciousness.
Josef Neumann was one of five people stabbed while attending a Hanukkah celebration over the weekend. On Tuesday, Neumann's family released a statement through the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council.
"The knife penetrated his skull directly into the brain," the family's statement reads. "Doctors are not optimistic about his chances to regain consciousness, and if our father does miraculously recover partially, doctors expect that he will have permanent damage to the brain; leaving him partially paralyzed and speech-impaired for the rest of his life.
Neumann's family says he is a father of seven children, grandfather, great-grandfather and a brother to several siblings.
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"Please continue to pray for Yehosef Ben Perel. (Yeohosef is our father's Hebrew name. Ben means son, and Perel was the name of our grand mother OBM.)" the family says.
Yisroel Kraus is a member of the Monsey community and describes Neumann as a "very special, kind, and gentle human being. One of the most selfless human beings that I know."
Kraus is the brother-in-law of Joseph Gluck, the man heralded for his bravery for fighting back against the attacker.
The alleged attacker, 37-year-old Grafton Thomas, is facing federal and local charges.
His attorney now says hospital records show Thomas had been treated for Schizophrenia.
Timeline of Recent Anti-Semitic Attacks
