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Man Charged with Hate Crime After Anti-Semitic Threats on Manhattan Train
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a troubling case that calls attention to rising anti-Semitic aggression, 37-year-old Christopher Husary has been charged with a hate crime and aggravated harassment following his confrontation with Joshua Savitt, a Jewish lawyer from White Plains, on a Manhattan train. The New York Post reported on Wednesday that Husary threatened Savitt on June 10th in a disturbing display of anti-Semitic hostility, taunting him with vile slurs while wearing a Hezbollah t-shirt and a mask. This incident has since brought heightened awareness to the alarming increase in targeted attacks against Jewish individuals in public spaces.
Pro Palestinian “professional agitator” and self professed tough guy that accosted a Jewish man on a NYC subway while saying “if you only knew who I was…” is
Christopher Khamis Victor Husary
He’s 36 and still lives with his mommy and daddy.
Yea, you read that right. What a… pic.twitter.com/iQ25OCfbBZ
— ֆǟաʏɛʀ ɢʀɨʍʍ “𝐌.𝐃.𝐀. ⭕️” (@SawyersGhost) June 22, 2024
Savitt’s harrowing encounter began after he attended a Manhattan exhibit honoring the victims of the brutal October 7 Nova Music Festival attack in Israel. As he boarded a train near Union Square, he observed two individuals spray painting “Free Gaza” on the subway car. According to The New York Post report Savitt decided to document the vandalism, snapping a photo of the culprits—a move that would soon draw the ire of Husary, who, police say, then verbally assaulted him.
In an exclusive interview with The New York Post, Savitt recounted the heated exchange, describing how Husary confronted him, demanding he delete the photo. According to Savitt, Husary menacingly warned him, saying, “Bro, if you only knew who I was,” and escalated the situation by allegedly threatening, “We’re going to find you, we’re going to get you.” Savitt was left shaken by the aggressive rhetoric, especially given the recent surge in anti-Semitic sentiments that followed the escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
Christopher Husary faces a year in jail for hate crime.
https://t.co/2S82vHzlLt— Anarcho-Zionist #JusticeforMalkiRoth (@AnarchoZionist) October 25, 2024
Savitt later filed a police report, seeking accountability for the anti-Semitic intimidation he faced. The New York Post report identified Husary as a self-proclaimed agitator with a history of protest arrests, tracing him to his California residence, where he reportedly lives with his parents in their $1.8 million home. Husary’s background and actions paint a portrait of a figure actively engaged in radical activism, who, despite living across the country, has repeatedly found himself at the center of inflammatory incidents.
Upon being confronted with the charges, Husary defended his actions in an interview, denying the allegations and instead claiming that Savitt was the aggressor. The New York Post reported Husary’s statement, in which he called Savitt a “terrorist” and asserted that he had only raised his hand to protect himself from what he described as harassment. His defense further claimed that Savitt had falsely accused him of making a gun gesture, a gesture Savitt interpreted as a threatening escalation of the verbal abuse.
Nevertheless, a police investigation led to Husary’s extradition from California to New York, where he is now facing the consequences of his actions. The charges, which include an attempted hate crime and aggravated harassment, reflect a growing commitment to addressing anti-Semitic incidents as serious hate crimes, particularly in major urban centers such as New York, where anti-Semitic harassment has been on the rise. According to The New York Post, authorities recognized the threatening nature of Husary’s comments, especially as they followed recent protests outside the same exhibit Savitt had attended.
The gravity of the charges against Husary serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Jewish individuals who increasingly find themselves targeted for their identity and beliefs. Anti-Semitism, both overt and subtle, has become alarmingly common, with public figures and private citizens alike facing harassment and intimidation. Incidents such as this reveal the urgent need for heightened awareness, education, and enforcement of hate crime laws to protect communities from those who seek to harm or intimidate based on religion or ethnicity.
For Savitt, this experience is a reminder of the risks Jewish individuals face when publicly expressing or defending their cultural and religious identities. As anti-Semitic attitudes gain traction globally, including in the U.S., his case sheds light on the importance of holding perpetrators accountable and defending the right to safety and dignity for all individuals, regardless of background.
