Two men arrested in assault of Lawrence man

Lawrence resident Joseph Borgen was identified as the person who was allegedly assaulted and pepper-sprayed by men in Times Square on May 20, who also made anti-Semitic remarks, NYPD reported.

Borgen, 29, was beaten as several others were verbally and physically hassled by pro-Palestinian individuals who threw fireworks and bellowed profanities. The incident, that happened during the day, was captured on video.

“I wasn’t wearing anything Israeli, or carrying a flag,” Borgen told Arutz Sheva television in Israel. “Just my yarmulka. So, when people see a yarmulka, they think Jews and Israel. It goes hand in hand.” Borgen added that he will continue attending pro-Israel rallies, and will have friends with him for “an extra level of protection” and “with my kippah,” he said.

Two men have now been arrested for the attack. The first was Waseem Awawdeh, 23, of Brooklyn, was arrested by NYPD. He was charged with assault as a hate crime, gang assault, menacing, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon. The police released photos of the additional men “wanted for assault.” Faisl Elezzi, 25, of Staten Island, was arrested Monday and charged with three hate crimes.

“The CommUnity Coalition is astounded at the brazen, vicious anti-Semitic attack in broad daylight of 29-year-old Lawrence resident Joseph Borgen,” the civic organization said in a statement. “Today, we all stand with our Jewish neighbors in wishing Joseph a speedy recovery and rededicate ourselves to our efforts to build the bridges necessary to combat hate and the violence it has led to here against our community.” The coalition is comprised of several organizations, multi-religious houses of worship and the Nassau County office of Asian American affairs.

Barry Borgen, Joseph’s father, told the Daily Caller his son had a concussion along with the cuts and bruises he sustained in the assault. Joseph was released from the hospital on May 21.

“I am appalled by the anti-Semitic gang attacks in New York City that victimized a Nassau resident, as well as the rising number of attacks targeting Jews in major cities like Los Angeles and London,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said in a statement.

“It is completely unacceptable for anybody to be intimidated or attacked because of who they are, and we will not tolerate in Nassau County,” she. “We stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters and against vile anti-Semitism that will never find comfort in our communities. I have asked the Nassau County police to continue to communicate with synagogues and yeshivas, as well as other houses of worship, to ensure all of our residents are protected.”

A rally is expected to take place on Thursday at 7:15 p.m., in Andrew J. Parise Cedarhurst Park that will feature Borgen as a speaker. Attendees are encouraged to bring Israeli and American flags. Local Covid guidelines will be followed.