(JTA) — The family of a biracial Jewish woman in Wisconsin who said she was set on fire by four white men issued a public thank you for “the overwhelming outpouring of support that Althea is receiving.”
Althea Bernstein, 18, of Madison said last week that the incident took place early on the morning of June 24 while her car was stopped at a light. She was treated at a hospital for burns to her face.
There is now a $10,000 reward for anyone who can provide police with information that leads to the arrest of the attackers, according to reports.
The Center for Combating Antisemitism, a division of the nonprofit organization StandWithUs, in conjunction with the Mizel Family Foundation, is offering a $5,000 reward in addition to Madison Area Crime Stoppers’ reward of $5,000.
“Our family is still asking for privacy at this time so that Althea may focus on healing,” its statement said, the local ABC affiliate WKOW reported. “We ask for your continued prayers and positive thoughts not only for Althea’s healing, but for the healing of the collective wounds of our society whose history of ongoing racial inequity has come to the forefront in recent years.”
According to Bernstein, someone yelled a racial epithet at her while her car was stopped and the window was down. One of the four white men she saw sprayed liquid and threw a lighter on her.
