Hasidic man charged in assault of celebrity cross-dresser outside Chabad HQ

Julie Wiener

NEW YORK (JTA) — A Hasidic man has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault as a hate crime after allegedly beating up a cross-dressing man outside the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Brooklyn.

Nehoray Shabbot, 20, of Worcester, Massachusetts, allegedly kicked and punched Elliot Offen, who has made numerous guest appearances on Howard Stern’s radio and television shows, the New York Post reported Monday, citing police sources.

The incident, during which Shabbot allegedly called Offen a “homo” and, in Yiddish, threatened to cut off his penis, occurred on Saturday night in the Crown Heights section.

Offen, who is known among Stern fans as “Elegant Elliot,” said a similar incident occurred outside Chabad headquarters in September, the Post reported.