NEW YORK (VINnews) – New York attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy delivered a forceful pledge Friday to confront antisemitism and serious crime, saying she would personally prosecute cases if necessary and declare a state of emergency on antisemitism on her first day in office if elected.

“I’ll do it myself if I have to,” Komatireddy said during a news conference in Manhattan’s Diamond District, at the site where Chabad Rabbi Yossi was reportedly pricked with needles earlier this week.

Komatireddy pledged to use the full authority of the attorney general’s office to protect Jewish communities and all communities across New York. She also said she would ensure that hate-crime enforcement efforts are properly staffed and that perpetrators are held accountable.

By choosing the site of the reported attack for her news conference, Komatireddy sought to underscore her message that antisemitism and public safety require decisive action.

Author and Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch of Crown Heights also spoke at the event, condemning the attack and expressing concern about the safety of Jewish New Yorkers.

“Whose only crime is being Jewish,” Schonbuch said, describing the targeting of Jewish residents. He also referred to an earlier stabbing of a Jewish man uptown, alleging that the assailants shouted “Allahu Akbar.”

Schonbuch described the rabbi targeted in the Diamond District as an innocent man who was performing religious duties and a grandson of Holocaust survivors.

Comparing the current climate to Germany in 1935, Schonbuch warned that antisemitism was escalating in New York City. He cited figures indicating that Jewish people account for more than half of reported hate crimes despite representing approximately 12% of the population.

Schonbuch voiced strong support for Komatireddy, saying he believed her approach would help make New York safer for all residents, particularly the Jewish community.