New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch attended Shabbat services at Central Synagogue on Friday following an alleged hate-motivated attack that disrupted the Manhattan congregation’s service, telling attendees that Jewish New Yorkers should not have to accept fear as the price of practicing their faith.
Tisch, who grew up attending Central Synagogue, addressed the congregation on Aug. 21, one week after Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx, allegedly disrupted a Friday-night Shabbat service attended by approximately 375 people and assaulted a congregant and a security guard.
“What happened here is unacceptable anywhere in this city,” Tisch said. “No New Yorker should be assaulted or threatened because of who they are or how they worship.”
“A hate crime such as this is a message written in violence,” she added.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Montes allegedly stood up during the Aug. 14 service, shouted and knocked over two ceremonial candlesticks before security personnel escorted him from the sanctuary. He allegedly struck a 63-year-old female congregant in the face and then spat on and headbutted a 65-year-old security guard.
Montes was charged federally on Aug. 18 with two counts of committing hate crimes and one count of damaging religious property resulting in bodily injury. He also faces state hate-crime charges related to the incident.
Tisch said the impact of a hate crime extends beyond the person directly attacked.
“The physical wound is inflicted upon one person, but the fear is intended for an entire community,” Tisch said. “It is meant to tell everyone who shares the victim’s identity that they do not belong, that they are vulnerable, that they should be afraid.”
‘Violence can inspire more violence’
Her remarks came as New York City continues to see a disproportionate number of hate crimes targeting Jews. According to data from the New York City Police Department, anti-Jewish hate crimes increased 8.5% during the first seven months of 2026, with 205 confirmed incidents compared with 189 during the same period last year.
In July alone, 23 of the city’s 33 confirmed hate crimes targeted Jews, or 69.6% of the total. That represented a 53.3% increase from July 2025, when 15 anti-Jewish hate crimes were confirmed.
“We know that violence can inspire more violence. Every high-profile attack raises the risk of another,” Tisch said. “Individuals already on the edge do not always need instructions. Sometimes, all they need is a spark.”
Tisch said the NYPD works with synagogues and yeshivas through precinct commanders and community affairs officers, while its Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau works to identify and address potential threats. The department also maintains a Hate Crime Task Force that investigates suspected bias-motivated incidents.
“Jewish families will not be told to accept fear as the price of practicing their faith,” the commissioner said.
Tisch spoke about her personal connection to Central Synagogue, where she grew up and was married.
“As a proud Jew and lifelong member of this congregation, you have my word that I stand with you in these uncertain, precarious times,” she said.
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, senior rabbi of Central Synagogue, told JNS that the congregation appreciated Tisch’s presence and the support it received following the attack.
“We were honored that Commissioner Tisch joined us for Shabbat worship and shared her pledge that ‘Jewish families will not be told to accept fear as the price of practicing their faith’ in the face of the attack we experienced and record-level hate crimes against the Jewish community in New York,” Buchdahl said.
“Central was so deeply moved and appreciative of the support and solidarity expressed by so many of our civic and faith leaders throughout the city and around the world,” she added.
