Joseph Borgen, victim of an antisemitic attack, addressing a rally in Long Island. Photo: courtesy

Mohammed Othman, one of a gang of men who in 2021 brutally attacked and pepper-sprayed Joseph Borgen in New York City as he was on his way to a pro-Israel rally, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in state prison and five additional years of post-release supervision in a Manhattan criminal court on Wednesday.

Borgen, who is Jewish, was wearing a kippah while walking in Manhattan when Othman, along with four other men, ambushed him without being provoked. They also shouted antisemitic slurs at the pro-Israel advocate, who suffered a concussion, wrist injury, black eye, and bruises all over his body.

As seen in footage of the incident, Othman pepper-sprayed Borgen three times and also pepper-sprayed a bystander who attempted to stop the assault. Othman, 26, pleaded guilty in October to second degree assault as a hate crime. The Algemeiner has reached out to his attorney for comment for this story.

Borgen, who was 29 at the time of the attack, told The Algemeiner on Wednesday that he is pleased with the outcome of the case but also worried that the group with which his attackers were allegedly affiliated, the extreme anti-Zionist organization Within Our Lifetime (WOL), is still engaging in antisemitic activity that could lead to more hate crimes.

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, WOL has posted (and deleted) a map, titled “Know Your Enemies,” showing the addresses of Jewish organizations in New York City, and staged numerous disruptive protests. The group is led by Nerdeen Kiswani, a former City University of New York (CUNY) student who once threatened to set on fire someone’s Israel Defense Forces (IDF) hoodie while he was wearing it.

“I was a lot more content and satisfied with the outcome of this case before I saw a lot of recent events. The same group that these attackers are affiliated with are still taking over the city,” Borgen said. “They’re still causing havoc; they’re forcing Jewish attendees of a fundraiser to speak at the backdoor of a police van, and they’re bombarding the mother of a hostage with horrible antisemitic chants.”

He continued: “It’s hard for me to say that I’m happy with the outcome when I look and around and see that not much has changed in two-and-a-half years. While I’m happy that I got a positive result in my case, I’m still disturbed that this same group is still going around causing issues for Jewish people, attacking restaurants, and putting people in danger.”

Three other sentences have been handed down in the Borgen case. Waseem Awawdeh, who continuously struck Borgen with a crutch while allegedly joining the others in shouting antisemitic epithets at him, pleaded guilty to attempted assault as a hate crime and received 18 months in jail, as part of a plea bargain negotiated with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Jonathon Junig.

In November, Mahmoud Musa received seven years in prison for his role in the attack.

Criminal proceedings are ongoing against a 14-year-old whose name has been withheld.

The 2021 attack occurred during the last conflict between Israel and Hamas, before the latest outbreak on Oct. 7.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.