One of the men wounded in the stabbing rampage at a Rockland County Hanukkah celebration may never wake up, his family said in a statement Tuesday.
Joseph Neumann, 70, was in critical condition after suffering a skull fracture and undergoing surgery on Sunday, his daughter previously told The Post.
“Doctors are not optimistic about his chances to regain consciousness,” his family said in an update on his status released through the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council in Hudson Valley.
The dad of seven was stabbed multiple times, when alleged machete-wielding madman Thomas Grafton stormed the Monsey house of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg on Saturday, injuring five Hasidic Jews.
“The knife penetrated his skull directly into the brain,” Neumann’s family said.
He was also cut three times on the head, once on the neck and his right arm was “shattered.”
“Our father’s status is so dire that no surgery has yet been performed on the right arm,” the statement said.
If he does happen to regain consciousness, doctors expect that his brain will be permanently damaged, leaving him partially paralyzed and speech-impaired for life, the family said.
The relatives asked for people to continue to pray for Neumann, who is a grandfather and great-grandfather. They also requested that Jews from across the world share their experiences with anti-Semitism on social media using the hashtag #MeJew.
“We shall not let this terrible hate-driven attack be forgotten and let us all work to eradicate all sorts of hate,” the family said.
The four other victims — including the rabbi’s 25-year-old son who was slashed in the head — had been treated and were released from the hospital by Sunday.
Federal prosecutors say the accused assailant kept journals filled with anti-Semitic writing and used a cellphone to search for “Zionist Temples,” including on Staten Island.
Grafton, 37, faces five state counts of attempted murder and five counts of federal hate crimes.