Joey Borgen: Refusing to Be a Victim and Standing Up to Antisemitism

Joey Borgen was walking to a pro-Israel rally in Times Square on a spring day in 2021, right after Hamas shot rockets at Israel, proudly wearing his yarmulke, when he was suddenly attacked by a group of men. They kicked and punched him, and beat him with crutches and flag poles. They also sprayed pepper spray, causing Joey’s eyes to painfully burn. He held on for dear life, protecting his head to make sure he didn’t suffer from any head injuries.

“I thought, ‘Is anyone going to come and help me?’ I tried to fight back, but I collapsed in a heap of pain."

Within three minutes, the NYPD came and broke it up, going after the men and dispersing the crowd that had formed and filmed the incident. Joey was rushed to the hospital, suffering from a concussion, torn ligaments in his wrist, and temporary blindness from the pepper spray. He had to wear a neck brace as a precautionary measure.

“My body felt like it was on fire,” he said. “It was chaotic. There were a million cops and doctors. They put suction cups on my eyes to get out of pepper spray so I could see again.”

Joey, who was 29 at the time, spent Shabbat in the hospital. His parents were shaken up but Joey was just glad to be alive. At the time Joey had no idea the video of the incident was going viral and that he was targeted only because he was a Jew.

“I thought it would be this situation I’d deal with personally,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be this major incident and indicative of the bigger picture that’s going on here.”

Joey, who was raised on Long Island and had moved to the city to attend CUNY Baruch and work in real estate, became a poster child for the wave of antisemitism that was spreading across New York. In recent years, there had been a number of disturbing attacks on Jews – this one happened to gain worldwide attention.

During the court hearings for Joey’s attackers, led by Mahmoud Musa, a Palestinian who was shouting slurs at Joey while hitting him, influencers like Lizzy Savetsky, Yuval David, and New York Councilmember Inna Vernikov showed up for #ENDJEWHATRED rallies outside the courtroom. It was announced that DA Alvin Bragg was going to offer a plea deal to Musa, who allegedly said, “If I could do it again, I would do it again," and Joey and his supporters wouldn’t stand for it. They wanted Musa and his accomplices prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

“The shameful and unacceptable leniency shown towards the individuals who assaulted Joey Borgen only encourages more violence against Jews," said Brooke Goldstein, co-founder of the End Jew Hatred movement, in a statement. "We demand justice for Joey and for the entire Jewish community.”

With Joey’s heart-wrenching testimony, in which he stated that he had PTSD and he’s in pain every single day, as well as the push from Jewish activists, Musa was sentenced to seven years in prison along with five years of post-release supervision.

“The DA wouldn’t admit this, but they realized they couldn’t sweep this under the rug because it was so public,” Joey said. “Because of that outpouring of support from the Jewish community day one, they got it back to resentencing.”

The rest of Joey’s attackers have been sentenced as well.

Looking back on the attack and seeing the rise in antisemitism following October 7, Joey is speaking out and telling Jews how they can defend themselves so they don’t become victims, too.

Refusing to Stay Quiet – And Advising Others to Speak Up

Joey is vocal about holding those in power responsible for what’s happening in New York; there have been upwards of 1,000 pro-Palestinian protests there since October 7, with some of them turning violent, calling for the genocide of Jews, disrupting holiday celebrations, and blocking bridges and highways.

“I’ve organized rallies and protests, and you need permits,” Joey said. “Freedom of speech is fine, but it doesn’t enable you to use bullhorns and speakers and take over public areas like Grand Central Station or say horrible antisemitic chants or do vandalism. These are things that shouldn’t be happening in New York City. The governor and mayor need to step up and do the right thing.”

Joey at the rally in Washington

Joey holds politicians accountable for what’s happening and believes others should as well. He also said that if we perceive a threat, we must let the police and the wider Jewish community know about it.

“We all need to use our voices to keep everyone informed and bring awareness to the issue,” he said. “A lot of people don’t realize the extent of the problem of antisemitism.”

He also wants his fellow Jews to learn self-defense.

“I did Krav Maga for a while after my attack,” he said. “Anything you can do to protect yourself nowadays is greatly encouraged.”

And if you are going to a rally, don’t go alone. “Go with a group, because you’ll be less of a target,” he said.

If you see anyone getting hurt, run for help immediately. “A couple of people tried to help me when I got attacked, but it was massive chaos,” he said. “My advice is to get help instead of jumping in.”

Though Joey said that he has felt traumatized for years since the attack, constantly looking over his shoulder, he refuses to let it get in the way of his living his life. Instead, he’s adamant about speaking up and is considering making Aliyah and moving to Israel, a place he loves dearly.

“I feel safe,” he said. “I am not going to let other individuals whose goal it is to make me feel unsafe win.”