More than three decades after the murder of Ari Halberstam Hy”d, the U.S. Department of Justice has formally acknowledged that, if the attack occurred today, it would be investigated and prosecuted as a federal hate crime and civil rights violation.

The announcement was made in a July 23 letter from former U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to Ari’s mother, Devorah Halberstam, who has spent decades seeking recognition that her son’s 1994 murder was motivated by antisemitism. Clayton wrote that there is “no doubt” the case would be pursued today as a federal hate crime and said his successor, Jamie McDonald, shares that view.

Ari Halberstam, 16, was killed when Rashid Baz, a Lebanese-born taxi driver, opened fire on a van carrying Lubavitch yeshiva students across the Brooklyn Bridge. Baz was convicted of murder and sentenced to 141 years in prison before dying behind bars in 2023.

Alongside the recognition, the Justice Department pledged to devote additional resources to investigating and prosecuting hate crimes in New York as antisemitic incidents continue to rise. According to the NYPD, antisemitic incidents increased 8.5% during the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period last year. Jews accounted for 57% of all reported hate crime victims in the city, while antisemitic incidents in July alone were up 53% from July 2025.

Devorah Halberstam said the letter gives her hope that the federal government is committed to combating antisemitic violence. She vowed to continue her efforts to ensure no other mother has to endure the loss of a child because of hatred.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)