New York Police issued an image of the alleged assailant of a 9-year-old Jewish boy in Brooklyn. Photo: NYPD.

A leading US Jewish civil rights organization, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), announced a $5,000 reward on Friday for information about antisemitic attacks that took place in Brooklyn last weekend.

According to police and other reports, the incidents took place within 30 minutes of each other on Sunday. The first incident involved a passerby who, apparently without provocation, allegedly punched a 9-year-old Orthodox Jewish boy multiple times in the face and then fled the scene. The second incident occurred just over a block away and involved a 12-year-old Orthodox boy who was shoved to the pavement by a group of strangers.

“These incidents are particularly appalling given the violent nature of the crimes and the young ages of the two Orthodox Jewish victims,” said Evan R. Bernstein, the ADL’s regional director for New York and New Jersey. “We remain deeply concerned by the manner in which bigotry and hatred appear to be influencing the words and actions of youth in our region. There must be a concerted effort by local and national leadership to transform the current divisive rhetoric into a dialogue of unity and acceptance.  We hope this reward facilitates the swift apprehension of the individual or individuals responsible, and we thank the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force for investigating.”

In the case of the 9-year-old boy who was punched, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said on Friday that its hate crimes task force was searching for “a black teen, believed to be 14 to 18 years old, with a light complexion and medium build, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and 150 pounds.”

“He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie with a black patch on the sleeve, dark colored jeans and white sneakers,” the NYPD added.

Anyone with information about these incidents is encouraged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1(800) 577-TIPS.