Palestinian protesters march down Midtown Manhattan Street in New York City on May 11, 2021
Since last month, East Jerusalem has quickly become the focus of international attention. The recent conflict between Israel and Gaza has sparked “anti-Semitic” violence in the United States, with death threats, hate speech and violent physical attacks against Jews from New York and California to Illinois and Utah.
“Jews are being targeted in broad daylight across America. This is textbook anti-Semitism, and we are living in danger until the public begins to recognize it for what it is.” The words of a Jewish man in New York who was attacked by pro-Palestinians on his way to synagogue this week have been a common theme swirling through the American Jewish community in recent days.
“We are shocked and horrified by the recent upsurge in anti-Semitic attacks by anti-Israel inciters across the country,” Major American Jewish Organizations (MAJO) said in a statement Thursday (May 20).
“These reprehensible, organized and spontaneous attacks are a relentless affront to fundamental American values and must be strongly condemned by all those who oppose hate and bigotry. We call on local, state and federal law enforcement to swiftly arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of anti-Semitism and all hate crimes. We also call on religious, educational, entertainment, media and government leaders to join a comprehensive effort to combat incitement and bigotry in our communities, on our campuses and on social media.”
New York
Despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza on Thursday (May 20), pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters continued to clash on the streets of Midtown Manhattan throughout the day. Two commercial fireworks were thrown from a car, causing minor burns to one person, according to police confirmation.
A video showed an older man being viciously beaten by a group of pro-Palestinians for wearing a yarmulke beanie as he prepared to cross a street in Times Square that day. The police department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the gang attack and is urging the public to come forward with information in cases like this that have created a tense social climate, police said.
According to the New York Post, nearly 150 pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked traffic and severely damaged infrastructure at the Israeli Consulate in New York on the 20th, and at least a dozen people were arrested after police arrived. A Jewish man was also forced to take refuge in a nearby store after being beaten and bloodied during clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli supporters outside the Israeli consulate.
The Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit group that tracks anti-Semitism around the world, said these incidents are not isolated cases in New York. Since the escalation of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza in early May, verbal and physical attacks against Jews have risen in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa and North America. Synagogues in every U.S. state have reported finding vandalism, swastikas and pro-Palestinian propaganda in their places of prayer.
The coalition said it has received nearly two hundred reports of anti-Semitic incidents, 35 percent higher than the 131 reported in the week before the conflict began.
New Jersey
A Jewish family in Englewood, N.J., was on their way home from church Sunday (May 16) when they encountered a pro-Palestinian demonstrator pull up next to them in a black BMW sedan and shout at them, “Free Palestine, get the Jews out of here, you — (expletive). Go back to where you came from and get out of here.”
The protester then tried to pull up next to another family, who saw this and immediately ran away. The interviewee told Fox, “My kids were shaking, terrified. My kids used to play outside in the backyard and now they refuse to play outside alone. They are terrified.” His children are 9, 8 and 7 years old.
California.
In Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with Jewish diners at a Beverly Grove restaurant Tuesday (May 18), captured on camera by a crowd of onlookers. The video shows a protester driving past the sushi restaurant’s outdoor dining area, flying a Palestinian flag and chanting “Death to the Jews!”
“I’ve been down this road a million times and I’ve never been scared,” the witness told Fox News. “I was waiting at the light to change and all of a sudden I saw a group of cars coming and I saw them out of the corner of my eye waving Palestinian flags. They started speeding up and I heard them chanting ‘Allahu akbar.’ That’s when I started running for my life. I was terrified. I just kept thinking that I was a father of six children and I wanted to go home to see them tonight. I thought they were going to kill me. My mind was racing.”
Yossi Elifort, founder of Magen Am, a Los Angeles community watch group, said anti-Semitism is not a new issue for the Jewish community, “No community should live in fear because of their faith, and the perpetration of these violent actions needs to be condemned by everyone. The Jewish community will not tolerate this. Jews around the world must know that they have the right and responsibility to work with law enforcement to protect their communities.”
Illinois
Authorities say a synagogue in the state’s Skokie County (SK) was vandalized on Sunday (May 16) and are investigating the hate crime. They found a “Free Palestine” poster on the door of the church, as well as a broken window and an unidentified object that resembled a “weapon. The county has since deployed additional security officers.
Skokie is reportedly a heavily Jewish town. Dina Shiner, who grew up in a synagogue, said, “What bothers me is that everyone is saying, ‘Oh, it’s just about Israel and Palestine, it’s not about Jews. No, they’re targeting synagogues. This is a direct attack on Jews. This has nothing to do with Israel.”
Utah.
The synagogue at the Chabad Community Center in Salt Lake City was vandalized this past weekend. Rabbi Avremi Zippel said in an interview, “It’s shocking how quickly misinformation and disinformation spreads online, and from a complex political issue in the Middle East, we have a problem where Jews are debating whether they should be walking the streets of America wearing visible yarmulke hats. “
Zipper said he believes the community will “persevere through this, as it has through all phases of our storied history. But the silence surrounding the spoiling of Jewish blood is deafening and downright sad.”
Arizona
A synagogue in Tucson, Arizona, which has been closed since the outbreak began, was vandalized days after it reopened after the epidemic slowed. The state’s Rep. Alma Hernandez (D) tweeted that the incident left her “a crying mess.
“As I write this, I am a complete mess and in tears. I just got off the phone with the rabbi and the glass door of the synagogue was vandalized with a rock. It was not an accident! I feel shocked out of consciousness. It happened right here in Tucson, please pray for us. This is just the beginning.” Hernandez wrote.
Florida.
In Miami, a Jewish family was walking home from church in Bal Harbour when a group of men driving by shouted anti-Semitic slogans while throwing trash at them. Eric Oregon, a roadside driver, saw them. Oregon told a local TV station that the men said “Free Palestine” and “Death to Jews” and that he decided to take his gun, protect the family and chase away the yelling men.
The mayor of Bal Harbour said police are actively investigating the incident and issued a strong warning to anti-Semitic attackers. He told WPEC-TV, “The purpose of these attacks is clear. It is to instill fear in the Jewish community, and for the perpetrators of this attack, they must know they will fail.” “We are a strong community, a proud community, and no attack or intimidation will work.”
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