A celebrity New York City stylist was arrested for attacking a prominent rabbi and making vile anti-Semitic comments outside the posh Chelsea hotel.
Aleksander Janik, known as a personal shopper for stars including Celine Dion and Rihanna, allegedly violently knocked Rabbi Chezky Wolff to the ground with his enormous duffel bag in front of a crowd.
Janik, 52, was charged with assault as a hate crime and was released without bail on Friday after pleading not guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court just hours after he was arrested.
Wolff claimed the clash allegedly started when Janik’s dog approached the doors of the Chelsea synagogue, which he manages.
Wolff asked Janik to leash the dog, but Janik refused and wondered why he should do that.
Aleksander Janik, known as a personal shopper for stars including Celine Dion and Rihanna, allegedly violently attacked Rabbi Chezky Wolff and knocked him to the ground with his enormous duffel bag in front of a crowd
Video footage of the incident shows Janik punching the father of six in the head, knocking him to the ground, causing his glasses and yarmulke to come off
Janik then allegedly muttered “dirty Jews,” prompting Wolff to record him.
Angry that the rabbi took him in, Janik then attacked de Wolff in broad daylight in front of many onlookers.
Video footage of the incident shows Janik punching the father of six in the head, knocking him to the ground and causing his glasses and yarmulke to come off.
Janik disputes the facts and offers The Daily Beast a different version of events.
He stated that his dog was resting in front of the synagogue to avoid the heat when Wolff approached and demanded that they move.
Janik claimed Wolff used derogatory language towards him and denied using offensive language.
He then boldly claimed that he actually self-identifies as “half Jewish” and mentioned that his grandmother had a connection to Auschwitz. However, he did not specify whether she was a worker or a prisoner in the concentration camp.
However, he admitted to physically assaulting the rabbi.
Janik’s social media accounts are full of photos of him posing with celebrities including Celine Dion, Rihanna, Brooke Shields and Mayor Eric Adams
Janik, 52, was charged with assault as a hate crime and was released without bail on Friday after pleading not guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court just hours after his arrest.
‘Yes, I pushed him. I pushed him with my bag,” he told the New York Post on Tuesday.
‘I protect my dog and myself. A strange man following me with his phone in my face, I should protect myself. I don’t know him,” Janik said.
‘I support the Jewish community. I am a big fan of every religion,” Janik added.
In response, Wolff’s attorney Cary London said, “We have no answer to the lies of an anti-Semite.” Once again: the Jewish people only want peace.’
The tote was apparently filled with hard objects, including books or a laptop, which left an imprint on the rabbi’s head, London told the Post.
Janik’s social media accounts are full of photos of him posing with celebrities like Celine Dion, Rihanna, Brooke Shields, and Mayor Eric Adams.
Wolff claimed the clash started when Janik’s dog approached the doors of the Chelsea Synagogue, which he manages. Janik then muttered “dirty Jews,” prompting Wolff to record him
One witness wrote his report in a Daily beast a“I was drinking a margarita and eating tapas with a new colleague at an open-air restaurant on West 23rd Street in Manhattan when I heard an unfamiliar thud.”
‘This thud was followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground, and the clatter of glasses on the pavement. “I turned around to see a bearded man quickly stand up, put his yarmulke back on, and chase an attacker walking a golden retriever,” wrote Ben Sherwood, publisher and CEO of the Daily Beast, who happened to witness the attack Saturday . .
“Immediately, customers in the restaurant jumped to their feet… There was a real sense of outrage on the terrace,” he wrote. “This is New York City,” the British woman said, “and there is anti-Semitism all around us.”