Israel and the Gaza Strip signed a truce: in the meantime, attacks on Jews in the United States increased

From New York and California to Illinois and Utah, the recent conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip has sparked violent attacks against American Jews who have been victims of death threats and brutal physical attacks. Writes about it Fox News.

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“Stop telling me this is about Israel and Gaza,” said a New Yorker who encountered a pro-Palestinian crowd on his way to synagogue. “My people are being targeted all over the United States. This is pure anti-Semitism and we will continue to live in danger until the public recognizes what it is.”

New York

Alarming footage emerged late Thursday night, May 20, showing pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters clashing on a sidewalk in midtown Manhattan, although Israel and Gaza had reached a ceasefire earlier in the day. Police confirmed that two fireworks were thrown from the vehicle and one person sustained minor burns.

New York Jews were already on the edge of a disturbing video in which gangs of pro-Palestinians brutally beat an elderly man for wearing a yarmulke when he tried to cross the street in Times Square that day. Police said their task force on hate crimes is investigating the gang attack and called on the public to provide information.

“Wearing a yarmulke in New York has always been safer than anywhere else in the world,” said a prominent New York lawyer. “I will never take mine off, but for the first time I will have to teach my children to be careful if they decide to wear theirs in public.”

The escalation came as no surprise to Israeli-Americans Amit Skornik and Snir Dayan, who were personally attacked earlier this week by the pro-Palestinian mafia on their way to lunch at a famous New York bagel shop.

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“Someone with his back to us heard us speaking Hebrew. He immediately looked at us and then walked into the crowd. I didn’t think much about it, but after about 10 seconds he and 10 other people rushed at us,” they said.

The attack came less than 10 days after a Jewish man was severely beaten and forced to seek refuge in a nearby store during clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel supporters outside the Israeli consulate in New York. Some 150 demonstrators returned to the consulate, where they caused chaos and reportedly blocked traffic in the area before police made more than a dozen arrests.

“This is not the New York I know,” said the longtime resident.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a non-profit organization that monitors anti-Semitism around the world, has recorded an alarming surge in both verbal and physical attacks against Jews in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa and North America following tensions between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Synagogues in various states have reported vandalism, swastikas and pro-Palestinian propaganda found at their prayer sites.

In the US, the ADL said it had received about 200 reports of possible anti-Semitic incidents, up from 131 in the week before the conflict.

“Part of me wants to wear a bigger Star of David necklace than I currently have, so people know how proud I am of my faith,” said Jewish model and lawyer Elizabeth Pipko. “At the same time, a small part of me wants to tuck my necklace into my shirt in case the wrong person sees it.” It's very difficult to be Jewish in the United States now. Seeing how so many ignore the hatred we see is incredibly painful."

New Jersey

The Englewood family ran into a pro-Palestinian demonstrator on their way home from the synagogue. Their children 9, 8 and 7 years old were very scared.

“A black BMW sedan drove up to them and shouted: “Free Palestine from the Jews. Go back to where you came from."

“They tried to go to another family who started running away. My children were shaking and terrified. My children, who play outside all the time, now refuse to be left there alone. They are shocked and worried,” the mother said.

California

In Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian demonstrators jumped out of their cars as they drove past restaurants in Beverly Grove and began attacking Jews. This fierce fight was captured by an outside observer. The footage shows a caravan with Palestinian flags driving past the outdoor dining area of ​​the sushi restaurant and chanting: “Death to the Jews!”

Just a few blocks later, a Jewish man was chased by two cars flying Palestinian flags outside his home, chanting “Allahu Akbar” in an apparent attempt to run him over.

“I’ve walked this path a million times and I’ve never been afraid,” he said. — I was waiting at a traffic light and suddenly I saw a bunch of cars approaching. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that they were waving a Palestinian flag. When the cars started to speed up, I started to escape. What was happening left me in shock, and I could only think about one thing: “I am the father of six children, and I want to return home to them tonight.” It seemed to me that they were going to kill me."

“Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is not a new problem in the Jewish community,” said Yossi Elifort, founder of Magen Am, a private watchdog group in the Los Angeles area. “No community should live in fear because of the religion it professes.” And the fact that people are willing to commit violence because of this should be condemned by everyone. The Jewish community will not tolerate this. Jews everywhere need to know that they have the right and responsibility to protect their communities in cooperation with law enforcement.”

Illinois

Authorities said the Skoki synagogue was desecrated as a result of what is being investigated as a hate crime. Parishioners found a "Free Palestine" poster on the door of the Jewish Congregation, as well as a broken window and an unidentified object resembling a "weapon."

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“It's a really scary time to be Jewish,” laments Dina Scheiner, who grew up in a synagogue. “This is Skokie, a predominantly Jewish city. What bothers me is that everyone says, “Oh, this only applies to Israel and Palestine, not the Jews.” No, they are attacking synagogues. This is a direct target. This has nothing to do with Israel."

The community has since increased its local security presence.

Utah

Last weekend, a synagogue at the Chabad Community Center in Salt Lake City was desecrated with a swastika painted on its front door.

“It is alarming how quickly misinformation and lies spread online, and because of the complex political issue in the Middle East, we have come to a place where Jews are debating whether they should walk the streets of the United States with a yarmulke,” said Rabbi Avremi Zippel .

Arizona

A synagogue in Tucson was vandalized just days after reopening doors that had been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

US Congressman Alma Hernandez from Tucson State wrote about the incident on Twitter.

“I'm in tears as I write this. I just spoke on the phone with my rabbi: someone has desecrated our synagogue,” she wrote.

“We are shocked and horrified by the recent sharp increase in anti-Semitic attacks by anti-Israel agitators across the country,” said top officials of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

The statement was signed by Chairman Dianne Lob, CEO William Daroff and Deputy Chairman Malcolm Henlein.

“These reprehensible organized and spontaneous attacks are a shameless affront to core American values ​​and must be strongly condemned by all who stand against hatred and prejudice. We call on local, state, and federal law enforcement to quickly apprehend and prosecute those responsible for anti-Semitic acts and all hate crimes.”

Florida

A family in the Miami area was heading home from a synagogue in Bal Harbor when a group of men passing by began chanting anti-Semitic insults and throwing trash at them. Eric Oregon said they shouted something like "Free Palestine!", "Die, Jew!"

Oregon saw a driver who witnessed the attack decide to intervene. Armed with a pistol, the stranger defended the family and chased away the aggressive men.

Bal Harbor Mayor Gabriel Groisman said the police are actively investigating the incident and said they would "hunt down the criminals." Groisman issued a serious warning to all those who carry out anti-Semitic attacks in his city.

“The intent of these attacks is clear,” he told WPEC-TV. “This is to strike fear into the hearts of the Jewish community.” Those responsible for this attack must know they will fail. We are a strong community and a proud community. We stand firmly with Israel and no amount of “attacks or intimidation will work.”

Israel and the Gaza Strip establish a truce

The ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, brokered by Egypt, came into force at 02:00 May 21 local time. Over 11 days of conflict, 244 people were killed and almost 2 thousand were injured, most in the Gaza Strip, writes with the BBC.

Both sides stated that they are ready to respond in case of violation of the terms of the armistice by the enemy.

Hamas has declared that the armed conflict has become a successful resistance to an adversary with superior military power.

The Israeli government noted that during the 11-day campaign, Israel made tremendous progress in achieving its goal of destroying Hamas' military infrastructure, which Israeli authorities believe should lead to longer-term peace and tranquility.

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According to the Palestinian side, 232 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, about 100 of them were women and children. Israel says at least 150 of the dead were militants from the extremist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

In Israel, according to official figures, 12 people were killed, hundreds were injured and injured as a result of rocket attacks.

Biden called to action

Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Tolerance Museums has called on US President Joe Biden to counter the surge in anti-Semitic attacks. Cooper said he supports the bill signed by Biden that addresses hate crimes, especially against Asian Americans, but called for additional emphasis on the recent rise in violence against Jews.

According to Cooper, these incidents pose a problem for those trying to separate anti-Israel activists from anti-Semitic ones.

“This is nonsense. This train left the station a long time ago. There is no difference between them. It doesn't matter to our enemies whether you're a Zionist or not - unless you have a Jew willing to condemn Israel, then they don't touch it,” he said.

Cooper encouraged Jews to proudly wear their prayer shawls and yarmulkes outside to show that they are not afraid or willing to retreat in the face of violent aggressors.

“I will never hide my Jewish identity in my life,” said one of the victims of the brutal attack in New York. — We are very proud of our country and our language. We simply feel stronger and even proud of our religion and our way of life, because our path is peace. Unlike them, we have proven this more than once.”

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• On the evening of May 7 in Jerusalem there were clashes between Palestinians and police... As a result, 205 Palestinians and 17 Israeli police officers were injured in the incident. The collision took place at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The situation escalated with the threat of eviction of Palestinian families from the eastern part of the city.
• Palestinians tried to throw stones at police. In response, they used rubber bullets and tear gas.
• The Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the most revered shrines of Islam, is located in the heart of old Jerusalem. There is also a sacred site for the Jews - the Temple Mount. It often becomes a hotbed of conflict and violence.
• On May 10, the Israeli police, using tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, faced Palestinians throwing stones, at a sacred site in Jerusalem, is a new episode in a series of clashes that threatened to push the contested city into wider conflict.
• As of May 12, Hamas fighters have already fired over a thousand rockets at Israel, the Israeli army is responding with airstrikes on Gaza, and in Israel itself, local Arabs have staged pogroms and arson in several places. There are at least 250 wounded on both sides.
• Ukrainian Artemy Shvedov lives in Tel Aviv. It told how people prepare for missile strikes and showed a bomb shelter arranged in his apartment.
• On May 17, they carried out the most massive mutual shelling since the beginning of the next escalation in the Middle East. This day in Gaza called "the deadliest".

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