Yonkers Man Admits To Antisemitic Attack On Jewish Barber

YONKERS, NY — A Yonkers man has admitted to a violent hate crime that shocked a Hudson Valley community.

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced that 34-year-old Ahmed Al Jabali, of Yonkers, pleaded guilty on Thursday to felony second-degree assault as a hate crime following his antisemitic assault on a Jewish barber in Yonkers last summer.

"Hate has no home in Westchester County," DA Cacace said. "The rise in antisemitic hate over the last several years is disturbing and completely unacceptable. Today and every day, my office stands with the Jewish community of Westchester and will seek justice for victims of antisemitic violence."

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On Aug. 29, Al Jabali entered Slava Shushakov's barbershop in Yonkers and asked for a shave. Al Jabali then grabbed a pair of barber's shears and called Shushakov an "[expletive] Jew." He then repeatedly tried to stab Shushakov and ended up slashing him in the arm and hand, while continuing to yell antisemitic slurs the entire time.

Al Jabali is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge James McCarty on May 29.

"No one should have to go through what I went through," Shushakov said. "This attack is a reminder that we have a lot more to do to eradicate hate and antisemitism in Westchester County. I want to thank DA Cacace and the Yonkers police for helping me get through this difficult time and for making sure I could get justice."

The case was investigated by the Yonkers Police Department.