Devorah Halberstam

Devorah Halberstam is an American political activist who rose to prominence following the murder of her son Ari in 1994. This has led to recognition and prominence deemed unusual for a Hasidic woman. Several years after the FBI's re-classification of the shooting from an act of road rage to an act of terrorism, Halberstam was awarded with the FBI's New York Division's Director's Community Leadership Award in 2009. Former Governor George Pataki cited the Halberstams’ efforts in his quest to have the death penalty restored. She, together with Governor George Pataki and other officials, was instrumental in enacting the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001, the first of its kind in New York State.