Stabbing at Chabad Headquarters in New York
Victim in critical condition, suspect shot and killed by police
December 09, 2014
Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Wikimedia Commons)
A man entered the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn early this morning and reportedly yelled, “I want to kill the Jews,” before stabbing a visiting Israeli student in the neck. Police entered the building and shot and killed the suspect, 49-year-old Calvin Peters, after a brief confrontation.
The victim, Levi Rosenviat, 22, is in stable condition at Kings County Hospital. He had arrived from Israel two weeks ago and was praying when the 1:45 a.m. stabbing occurred. (The Chabad headquarters is open 24 hours a day.)
A disturbing video of Peters being apprehended was posted online by Israeli news site 0404.
Police have characterized the incident as criminal, not terror-related. A witness said Peters entered the building about an hour before the stabbing and asked for a book before quickly leaving.
Rabbi Motti Seligson, Chabad’s director of media relations, said in a statement that they are working with authorities on an investigation. “We commend the heroic efforts of the individuals who were present and took immediate action. If not for their intervention, the outcome could have been, G-d forbid, far worse. We continue to pray for the young man who is in stable condition.”
We’ll update this post as we learn more.
Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.
