No Hate Crime Charges For Teens Who Allegedly Beat Jewish Boy In Queens
Waleska Mendez, a volunteer at Masbia soup kitchen in Forest Hills, intervened in an attack on a 16-year-old Jewish boy. (Arun Venugopal / WNYC)
One witness, Waleska Mendez, emerged from Masbia, a Jewish-run soup kitchen located on 64th Road in Forest Hills, where she volunteers. She was working inside when she heard the commotion.
“When I went out I saw the kid next to the tree, already on the floor. All the gang was kicking and punching him. So I started screaming ‘Leave him alone!’”
She rushed back in, grabbed a broom and ran back out, wielding it as a weapon.
“It was the first thing that I find,” she said. “I was screaming and trying to hit them.”
Read the full article here.
Two cuffed for alleged roles in Forest Hills beatdown that left teen hospitalized: NYPD
Waleska Mendez, a worker at Masbia Soup Kitchen on 64th Road, claimed the incident did not just involved two attackers, but two dozen.
Alexander Rapaport, the founder of Masbia, posted a video of Mendez to Twitter in which she claimed to have warded off the attackers with a broom. Read the full article here.
ATTACK ON JEWISH TEEN IN QUEENS CLASSIFIED AS GANG INCIDENT, DRAWING IRE
The Jewish boy, David Paltielov, 16, remained hospitalized one week after the Nov. 29 attack in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York.
BY MARCY OSTER/JTA, DECEMBER 10, 2018
Waleska Mendez, a volunteer at Masbia soup kitchen in Forest Hills near the site of the incident, emerged from the building wielding a broom to stop the attack, the report said. Read the full article here.
ARRESTS BUT NO HATE-CRIME CHARGES AFTER JEWISH TEEN BEATEN BY MOB IN NEW YORK CITY
By The Scroll
December 7, 2018 • 5:58 PM
Things may have been even worse if not for the intervention of Waleska Mendez, who was volunteering at the Masbia soup kitchen at the time of the attack. After realizing what was going on, Mendez ran outside and confronted the mob with a broom. After chasing away the attackers, she was almost drawn into a scuffle with the onlookers who had responded to the attack by recording it. “One of them was trying to get on top of me,” Mendez told Gothamist. “I just throw the broom, and said ‘You want to fight? Let’s do it.’” Read the full article here.
Attack on Jewish teen in Queens prompts emergency meeting with city officials
POSTED 5:48 PM, DECEMBER 6, 2018, BY JOE MAUCERI
Read the story here.
Forest Hills Jewish community on edge
Posted: Thursday, December 6, 2018 10:30 am | Updated: 12:39 pm, Thu Dec 13, 2018.
By David Schneier, Chronicle Contributor
The Jewish community in Forest Hills is on edge after numerous altercations between Bukharian Jews and, allegedly, students from Forest Hills High School.
A 16-year-old Bukharian Jewish male remains in NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst with deep bruises and cuts to his head after being beaten by a group of teenagers on Nov. 29. Read the full article here.
Two cuffed for roles in Forest Hills beatdown that left teen hospitalized and stirred bias crime fears
By Mark Hallum / [email protected] / Thursday, December 6, 2018 / 4:30 PM
Waleska Mendez, a worker at Masbia Soup Kitchen on 64th Road, claimed the incident did not just involved two attackers, but two dozen. Alexander Rapaport, the founder of Masbia, posted a video of Mendez to Twitter in which she claimed to have warded off the attackers with a broom. Read the full article here.
Attack on NY Jewish teen not classified as hate crime
Waleska Mendez, a volunteer at Masbia soup kitchen near the site of the incident, emerged from the building wielding a broom to stop the attack, the report said.
The two alleged assailants, Jonathan Torres, 18, and a 17-year-old male, were both charged Thursday with first-degree felony gang assault and second-degree felony assault. Read the full article here.
Good Samaritan, Who Intervened In Attack On Jewish Boy, Confronts Life Without a Home
BY ARUN VENUGOPAL, WNYC IN NEWS ON DEC 25, 2018 4:00 AM
It’s been a hectic few weeks for Waleska Mendez.
The Queens residentintervened in a violent attack on a 16-year-old Jewish boyby a group of teenagers, using a broom to scare off the assailants, on November 29th.
In response, City Comptroller Scott Stringer showed up at Masbia, the soup kitchen where she volunteers, last week and presented her with a commendation from the city, “For unparalleled bravery and selfless actions against hatred and antisemitism.” Read the full article here.
Soup Kitchen Volunteer Receives City Commendation After Stopping Attack on Jewish Teen in Forest Hills
Dec. 19, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
A brave volunteer from a soup kitchen in Forest Hills received a city commendation yesterday for her role in stopping an attack on a Jewish teenager late last month.
Waleska Mendez, who volunteers at the Masbia Soup Kitchen at 105-47 64th Rd., was presented with the commendation by Comptroller Scott Stringer after she intervened and stopped a group attack on a 16-year-old Bukharian teen just outside the kitchen on Nov. 27. Read the full article here.
Woman honored for breaking up beating
Posted: Thursday, December 20, 2018 10:30 am | Updated: 11:38 am, Thu Dec 27, 2018.
By David Russell, Associate Editor
City Comptroller Scott Stringer came to Forest Hills Tuesday to honor a volunteer at a Jewish-run soup kitchen who stopped an attack on a Bukharian teenager.
On Nov. 29, Waleska Mendez came out of Masbia on 64th Road just off 108th Street to see a teenager being attacked by a group of people. Read the full article here.
