It was less than a week ago when five people were stabbed inside of their rabbi's home in Monsey.

Two of those victims are still recovering. Josef Neumann, one of the victims, continues to cling to life in Valhalla.

The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council says Josef Neumann is now in critical condition at Westchester Medical Center following the attack.

According to a statement from his family, Neumann was stabbed multiple times during the attack and may now have permanent brain damage, which will leave him partially paralyzed for the rest of his life.

 

 

It was supposed to be a safe space for Neumann. He was a part of a group celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah, but a night that should be filled with light quickly turned to darkness. "You know what happened in Monsey, it was terrorism. It was terrorism, it was a hate crime and it was terrorism, when you attack people and you are trying to hurt or murder a large number of people because of their race or religion that is terrorism," says Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The alleged Monsey attacker, Grafton Thomas, 37, of Greenwood Lake, is behind bars facing federal charges and five counts of attempted murder.

While local and federal officials are still working on the investigation, Rockland County's district attorney says his priority is to keep his county safe. "Unfortunately our top priority now would be the prosecution of the defendant, Mr. Thomas, who has been accused of five counts of attempted murder. It was horrific incident and there is a sense of fear throughout the Rockland community. So my first and top priority would be bringing back a sense of safety and security to Rockland County,” says Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh.

A fundraising campaign is underway, and it’s asking the community to do a mitzvah, or good deed, and donate to help the families of the five victims in this dark time of need.

The goal is raise $100,000. Organizers say all donations will go directly to the victims’ families.