1994 Brooklyn Bridge shooting

Last updated

1994 Brooklyn Bridge shooting
Brooklyn Bridge by David Shankbone.jpg
The Brooklyn Bridge, where the shooting took place. Photographed in February 2007
Location New York City, United States
DateMarch 1, 1994
TargetChabad-Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish students
Attack type
 mass shooting
Weapons
Deaths1
Injured3
PerpetratorRashid Baz
Motive

On March 1, 1994, Lebanese-born Rashid Baz shot at a van of 15 Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish students who were traveling on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, killing one and injuring three others. [1] Initially considered a road rage incident, in 2005, this shooting was reclassified as a terrorist attack.

Contents

Incident

In the attack, Baz shot at a van in which 15 Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish students were crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. He used a Cobray MAC-11 automatic pistol to strafe the van, and a Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic pistol to shoot at students. He also had a 12-gauge Armsel Striker shotgun in his trunk.

Four students were shot. The two most seriously wounded included Ari Halberstam, a sixteen-year-old, who died five days later from a shot to the head. The other student, Israeli-born Nachum Sasonkin, was also shot in the head and suffered permanent major speech impediments. [2]

Amir Abudaif, an auto mechanic, reported the incident to the police. During the arrest, Baz was also found to be in possession of anti-Jewish literature, a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol, a stun gun, a bulletproof vest, and two 50-round ammunition magazines. Initially, Baz claimed a traffic dispute led him to commit the shootings, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation initially classified the case as road rage. [3] Witnesses testified that on the day of the shooting Baz had attended "a raging anti-Semitic sermon" at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge. [4]

Baz pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His defense team also offered the theory that Baz was reacting to events in the Middle East. [5]

The jury rejected both defenses, and Baz was found guilty of second degree murder and 14 additional counts of attempted murder in New York Supreme Court on December 1, 1994. He was sentenced to 141 years to life in prison.

Dead and wounded

Dead

Ari Halberstam, a yeshiva student, was killed in the attack. He was the son of Devorah Halberstam and David Halberstam, members of distinguished families associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He was raised under the personal supervision of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The Halberstam family had ties to the Rebbe as Ari's father worked as a butler and personal manager to the Rebbe. The Halberstam family also includes a rabbinic dynasty of its own, Bobov, whose first Rebbe was Shlomo Halberstam.

On March 1, 1994, Ari Halberstam was visiting the ailing Rebbe at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, and was returning to his Brooklyn home via the Brooklyn Bridge. On the entrance ramp to the bridge, gunman Rashid Baz opened fire on the van, which also carried more than a dozen other Hasidic students. Baz was equipped with a submachine gun, two 9mm guns, and a "street sweeper" shotgun. Baz pursued the van across the bridge as he fired in three separate bursts, spraying both sides of the van, before disappearing into traffic. During the shooting spree, the gunman reportedly shouted in Arabic "Kill the Jews," expressing revenge for the terrorist massacre of 29 Muslim worshipers at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron by Baruch Goldstein four days prior. The attack critically wounded two of the young men and injured two others.

Halberstam was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital and was the most severely wounded, having been shot in the head by Baz. As a result of the massive brain injuries, Halberstam died on March 6, five days after the shooting.

As the funeral procession took place on Eastern Parkway, outside the central Lubavitcher synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway, some 10,000 mourners were in attendance. More than 250 police officers were on hand to maintain safety. Halberstam was buried in the Montefiore Cemetery in Queens.

Wounded

Nachum Sossonkin survived but suffered permanent brain damage. [6]

Levi Wilhelm survived a bullet to the abdomen. [6]

Yaakov Schapiro has minor injuries to one hand and a minor gunshot wound to the head. [6]

Legacy

Among the items named in memory of Ari Halberstam include:

Convictions

Bassam Reyati, uncle of Baz and the owner of the car, was convicted of concealing evidence, and was sentenced to 5 years of probation and a $1,000 fine on October 16, 1996. Hilal Abd Al-Aziz Muhammad, owner of the car repair shop Baz used to hide the damage to his car, was convicted of concealing evidence and hindering prosecution. He was sentenced to five years of probation on May 17, 1995. Albert Jeanniton was convicted for illegally selling one of the guns obtained by Baz. [3] In 2000, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan) Mary Jo White and the Federal Bureau of Investigation re-classified the attack as "the crimes of a terrorist." [5]

Rashid Baz's defense team portrayed him as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his childhood exposure to violence during the Lebanese Civil War. They argued further that Baz's actions were triggered by Cave of the Patriarchs massacre of 29 people in Hebron. The jury rejected this argument, and on December 1, 1994, Baz was convicted on one count of murder, 14 counts of attempted murder, and one count of criminal use of a firearm. On January 18, 1995, judge Harold Rothwax sentenced Baz to 141 years to life in prison. [14] Baz was initially imprisoned at the Auburn Correctional Facility in upstate New York and later transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility. [15] [16]

Despite the conviction of Baz, the Halberstam family and others wanted the case reclassified as a terrorist attack and wanted a further investigation to probe any terrorist links to Baz. On August 26, 1999, the United States Department of Justice and FBI agreed to open an investigation into Baz. The investigation did not yield any new leads connected to terrorist organizations but the Justice Department did formally reclassify the incident as an act of terrorism. [5] In his confession in 2007, Baz said, "I only shot them because they were Jewish." [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zalman Schachter-Shalomi</span> American writer and activist, Jewish Renewal movement pioneer

Meshullam Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, commonly called "Reb Zalman", was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement and an innovator in ecumenical dialogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menachem Mendel Schneerson</span> Seventh Chabad Rebbe

Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, was a Russian-American Orthodox rabbi and the most recent Rebbe of the Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty. He is considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chabad</span> Hasidic Jewish dynasty

Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch, is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of the largest Jewish religious organizations. Unlike most Haredi groups, which are self-segregating, Chabad mainly operates in the wider world and caters to nonobservant Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menachem Mendel Schneersohn</span> Third Chabad Rebbe (1789–1866)

Menachem Mendel Schneersohn also known as the Tzemach Tzedek was an Orthodox rabbi, leading 19th-century posek, and the third rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sholom Dovber Schneersohn</span> Fifth Chabad Rebbe

Sholom Dovber Schneersohn was the fifth rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch chasidic movement. He is known as "the Rebbe Rashab". His teachings that encouraged outreach were further developed later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitzvah tank</span> Mobile Chabad outreach center

A Mitzvah tank is a vehicle used by the Orthodox Jewish practitioners of Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidism as a portable "educational and outreach center" and "mini-synagogue" to reach out to non-observant and alienated Jews. Mitzvah tanks have been commonplace on the streets of New York City since 1974. Today they are found all over the globe in countries where Chabad is active.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaya Mushka Schneerson</span> Wife of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1901–1988)

Chaya Mushka (Moussia) Schneerson, referred to by Lubavitchers as The Rebbetzin, was the wife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh and last rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Judaism. She was the second of three daughters of the sixth Lubavitcher rebbe, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn. She was named after the wife of the third Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn.

Halberstam is a Jewish surname, used by several branches of the Halberstadt family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">770 Eastern Parkway</span> Lubavitch World Headquarters

770 Eastern Parkway, also known as "770", is the street address of the World Headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, located on Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The building is the center of the Chabad-Lubavitch world movement and considered by many to be an iconic site in Judaism.

Tehillat Hashem is the name of a prayer-book used for Jewish services in synagogues and privately by Hasidic Jews, specifically in the Chabad-Lubavitch community. The name of the siddur is taken from Psalm 145, verse 21, "Praise of God shall my mouth speak, and all flesh shall bless His holy Name forever and ever." The siddur is a photocopy of the Siddur "Seder HaAvodah", published by Vilna 1901, with corrections and additions from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chabad messianism</span> Belief that Menachem Mendel Schneerson is the Jewish messiah

Messianism in Chabad refers to the belief within the Chabad-Lubavitch community—a prominent group within Hasidic Judaism—regarding the Jewish messiah. Central to this belief is the conviction that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, is the awaited Messiah who is leading the Jewish people into the Messianic era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leib Groner</span> American rabbi

Yehuda Leib "Leibel" Groner was an American Hasidic Jewish teacher, scholar, and author. He is best known for having served as the personal secretary to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, for 40 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch</span> Jewish charity organization network

Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch is the central educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. It was founded in 1943 by the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, who served as president, and appointed his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who would later become the seventh Rebbe, as its chairman and director. After the death of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson succeeded him as president. Today, Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Krinsky serves as chairman and, until his death in 2024, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky A"H served as vice-chairman.

Isaac "Jacky" Bitton is a French-American musician. Initially gaining fame as the drummer for secular rock band Les Variations, Bitton became a baal teshuva through Chabad in the late 1970s and subsequently began a career in contemporary Jewish music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Children's Museum</span> Museum in Brooklyn, New York

The Jewish Children's Museum is a Jewish-themed children's museum at 792 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. It aims for children of all faiths and backgrounds to gain a positive perspective and awareness of the Jewish heritage, fostering tolerance and understanding. The permanent collection features exhibits designed to be both educational and entertaining to children, often employing interactive multimedia. At the miniature golf course on the roof, for example, each hole represents a stage in Jewish life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machneh Israel (Chabad)</span> Social service organization of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement

Machne Israel is the social service organization of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaad Talmidei Hatmimim Haolami</span>

Vaad Talmidei Hatmimim Haolami, is a student organization of the worldwide Chabad Lubavitch Yeshiva network. The Vaad was established in 2001 under the auspices of the Central Lubavitch Yeshiva faculty. Its central office is located at Lubavitch World Headquarters and is directed by Rabbi Tzvi Altein. The regional office in Israel oversees activities for the Israeli Yeshiva network. The Vaad is affiliated with Agudas Chasidei Chabad, the umbrella organisation of the Chabad Lubavitch movement.

Devorah Halberstam is an American political activist who rose to prominence following the murder of her son Ari in 1994. This has led to recognition and prominence deemed unusual for a Hasidic woman. Several years after the FBI's re-classification of the shooting from an act of road rage to an act of terrorism, Halberstam was awarded with the FBI's New York Division's Director's Community Leadership Award in 2009. Former Governor George Pataki cited the Halberstams’ efforts in his quest to have the death penalty restored. She, together with Governor George Pataki and other officials, was instrumental in enacting the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001, the first of its kind in New York State.

<i>Imrei Binah</i> Chabad book

Imrei Binah is a work by Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, the second Rebbe of the Chabad Hasidic movement. Imrei Binah is considered to be one of the most profound texts in Chabad philosophy.

<i>Siddur Im Dach</i>

Siddur Im Dach is a Hasidic prayer book written by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Accompanying the prayers are Hasidic discourses written by Rabbi Schneur Zalman.

References

  1. ↑ Murphy, Mary (March 1, 2011). "Back at Police Plaza, Bratton and Miller recall 20th anniversary of Brooklyn Bridge shooting". WPIX. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  2. ↑ Barsky, Yehudit (November 2000). "The Brooklyn Bridge Shooting: an Independent Report and Assessment". American Jewish Committee. Archived from the original on June 8, 2006. Retrieved June 12, 2006.
  3. 1 2 Heilman, Uriel (Summer 2001). "Murder on the Brooklyn Bridge". Middle East Quarterly. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  4. ↑ Jonathan Mark (April 4, 2006). "Ari, Alisa And Memories In The Morning". New York Jewish Week. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Dewan, Shaila K. (December 6, 2000). "U.S. Decides '94 Attack On Hasidim Was Lone Act". The New York Times . Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 Firestone, David (March 2, 1994). "Student, 15, Had Ties To Family Of Rabbi". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  7. ↑ Olidort, Baila (March 2, 2014). "Who Was Ari Halberstam? 20 Years Since Terror Strikes On the Brooklyn Bridge". Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ Stanley N. Alpert (2008). The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival. Penguin. ISBN   9781101206706.
  9. 1 2 Roberts, Sam (December 28, 2009). "How to Find the Bridge? First, Pay Your Respects". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Mother Reflects On Terror Attack That Killed Ari Halberstam, 25 Years Later". WCBS. March 1, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  11. ↑ "HR 144 Ari's Law 108th Congress (2003-2004)". United States Congress. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  12. ↑ "I know too well what guns can do". New York Daily News. March 1, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  13. ↑ Nocera, Joe (March 2, 2013). "The Gun Report: March 2, 2013". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  14. ↑ James, George (January 19, 1995). "Bridge Gunman Gets 141-Year Term". The New York Times. B3.
  15. ↑ Heilman, Uriel (Summer 2001). "Murder on the Brooklyn Bridge". The Middle East Quarterly. 8 (3): 29–37.
  16. ↑ "Inmate Information » NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision". Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  17. ↑ Celona, Larry (March 26, 2012). "Killer: Jews my target". New York Post . Retrieved July 11, 2012.

40°42′25″N73°59′56″W / 40.707°N 73.999°W / 40.707; -73.999

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.