On May 20th, 2021 Joseph Borgen, a Jewish young man, was on his way to a Pro Israel rally in Times Square. He exited the subway wearing his kippah whereupon an individual began to chase him. Before he could react he was surrounded by a Pro Palestinian mob and was viciously set upon, beaten, pepper sprayed and stomped on. Borgen reported from the hospital that," I have bruises all over my body. I have a black eye. My face is banged up...They were kicking me in my ribs, my stomach." As a result of his injuries Jospeh suffers chronic pain and emotional trauma. One of the perpetrators, Waseem Awawdeh, was arrested for smashing his crutch into Joseph. He is purported to have told another inmate in jail: " If I could do it again, I would to it again."

The Manhattan District Attorneys office has declined to prosecute Mr. Awawdeh's actions as a class C hate crime felony.  In fact, contrary to the wishes of the Borgen family and other elected officials, Mr. Awawdeh's charges have been downgraded with a plea offer of  just 6 months jail time. The next court date is scheduled for March 9th and may result in the disposition of this plea.

We view this plea deal as a slap on the wrist and a miscarriage of justice that does nothing to discourage further attacks on members of the Jewish Community. We demand that the District Attorney's office prosecute Mr. Awawdeh and seek the maximum punishment under law for this crime.

Please sign this petition, post it to social media, encourage your Synagogue or other institutions to send it their members and forward to friends and family alike. Thank you for your support.