the NY Post
Two Jewish men were attacked as “dirty Jews” in Brooklyn — before one of them was punched in the face for sporting an Israel Defense Forces sweatshirt, the pair told The Post Monday. Blake Zavadsky and his friend Ilan Kaganovich, both 21, were at the Foot Locker in Bay Ridge shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday when they were allegedly accosted by two attackers. “They asked us what we were doing in their neighborhood,” Zavadsky said. “They called us ‘dirty Jews.’” He said they took particular issue with his hoodie that featured the emblem of the Israeli military forces. “‘How can you support these dirty Jews?’” Zavadsky said the man allegedly snarled. “The one who punched me said if I don’t take my sweatshirt off, he’s going to rock me,” Zavadsky said. One of the men slugged Zavadsky twice in the face and doused him with iced coffee when he didn’t take off the hoodie, he said. The NYPD said Monday the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. “I can’t believe this happened,” said Kaganovich, who said the pair threatened him if he intervened. “We should be able to wear whatever we want to wear. “Blake and I are Jewish — we should support Israel without it being a problem. My family moved from the Soviet Union for this reason — to be able to live a better life.” Both men are from Brooklyn and attend college in the Big Apple — Zavadsky is a student at the College of Staten Island and Kaganovich at Brooklyn College.
