The victim’s daughter, Leah Livshitz, said, “Daddy was visibly Jewish. He was targeted in broad daylight. … His family deserves answers. The Jewish community deserves answers.”
By Shula Rosen
The New York Police Department has increased the reward for information leading to an arrest in the fatal shooting on May 18 of Rabbi Albert Itzkowitz as relatives, elected officials and community members renewed calls for witnesses to come forward while the victim’s family said it believes antisemitism may have played a role in the killing.
Itzkowitz’s family gathered Thursday at Kissena Park in Queens, N.Y., alongside neighbors and local elected officials to appeal for public assistance in solving the case, the Queens Eagle reported.
“We are desperate for answers,” said Tzvi Yonie Itzkowitz, the victim’s youngest son. “We find ourselves in emotional limbo.”
“We’re asking anyone who may have heard something, seen something, know anything at all to please, please come forward,” he added.
Leah Livshitz, the victim’s daughter, said the family believes investigators should examine whether antisemitism was a factor in the killing.
“The circumstances demand answers in a city where antisemitic incidents have surged,” she told the Queens Eagle. “Daddy was visibly Jewish. He was targeted in broad daylight. He was killed in a public park where he should have been safe. His family deserves answers. The Jewish community deserves answers.”
Local officials joined the family’s appeal for information.
“They deserve justice, and our community deserves accountability,” said Assemblymember Nily Rozic.
“We know it happened in a heavily used public park, so we know there were individuals in the area who may have seen something, heard something, and possessed some information that could help connect the remaining pieces of this investigation,” she added.
The NYPD has increased the reward for information in the case to $10,000. Itzkowitz’s family has pledged to match that amount, bringing the total reward to $20,000.
Police said officers from the 109th Precinct in Flushing responded to a 911 call on May 18 reporting an unconscious man near the shoreline of Kissena Lake. Responding officers found the 75-year-old with gunshot wounds to the neck and back. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators have not identified a motive in the killing and have yet to recover the murder weapon. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue seeking information from the public.
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