Man sentenced to 90 days for anti-Semitic assault in Times Square, smiles with ‘victory’ gesture

In a Manhattan courtroom, Yehia Amin was handed a 90-day prison sentence after pleading guilty to a third-degree assault hate crime for following and punching a 23-year-old Israeli tourist wearing a kippah near Times Square, while shouting anti-Jewish slurs. Judge Althea Drysdale noted his smiling demeanor; Amin explained he wanted to look good for photographs, and he later flashed a hand sign that onlookers described as a “victory” gesture.

The sentencing came after Amin arrived late with his mother, prompting the need for an Arabic interpreter. Representatives from the New York Jewish Community Judicial Watch Group, including founder Glenn Richter and member Serena Smulansky, condemned the plea agreement as overly light, citing Amin’s prior threatening behavior and contrasting his case with that of Larry Montes, who faces up to 15 years. Prosecutors said Amin had pursued the Israeli and his friends, issuing threats such as “Hamas should kill more of you” before striking the victim. While some observers, like Brian Chenensky, called the jail term a “miracle” given the city’s justice system, others view it as a slap on the wrist.