Family of Biracial Jewish Woman Set Alight in Wisconsin Prays for Healing

Relatives of a biracial Jewish woman from Wisconsin who was set alight by four white men in an attack last week expressed gratitude on Thursday for the outpouring of support from the general public.

18-year-old Althea Bernstein from Madison told police that she had been sitting in a car alongside a local protest against racism when the four men approached her, sprayed her with lighter fluid and then set her on fire. Bernstein suffered third-degree burns in the attack and is presently recovering from her injuries.

Thursday’s statement from Bernstein’s family members said they were “still asking for privacy at this time so that Althea may focus on healing.”

The statement continued: “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.”

Earlier this week, Jewish groups announced a $5,000 reward for information that led to the arrest of the perpetrators of the attack. Police in Madison are treating the incident as a hate crime.

The Center for Combating Antisemitism — a division of the nonprofit organization StandWithUs — in conjunction with the Mizel Family Foundation, is offering the reward.