Community Gathers to Remember Paul Kessler on First Anniversary of His Death

On the first anniversary of Paul Kessler’s death in Thousand Oaks, a small crowd gathered at the Shell gas station where he was injured, holding Israel and U.S. flags. One of the first people to arrive at the corner of Thousand Oaks and Westlake Blvd was Jonathan Oswaks, who is the key witness in the case of Kessler’s death involving Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 51.

Alnaji, a college professor from Moorpark, was originally given a $1 million bail, which was immediately reduced to $50,000 by Judge Ryan Wright. He was ordered to relinquish his U.S. and Jordanian passports and is going to stand trial on a second-degree manslaughter charge.

The fact that the person charged with Kessler’s death is free on bail has upset many people in the community, especially Oswaks, who witnessed the attack. “The political climate at that time was to give leeway to the oppressed or those who pose as the oppressed, and now we are going to see a different thing,” he said.

Oswaks, 70, met Kessler about three weeks prior to his death, after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. “I was trying to raise awareness of the plight of the Jewish people, so I immediately posted on Nextdoor, Facebook and Instagram,” Oswaks told The Journal, standing just a couple of feet from where Kessler was killed. “I was immediately booted off Nextdoor. It’s full of antisemites. The only person who answered my call on any social media was Paul Kessler.”

“At 3 o’clock, around the time the rally was called for, Paul and I were standing here at the corner, but there were so many pro-Palestinians, so I told Paul, we need to split up because we only have two flags,” Oswaks said. “I said, ‘you stay here and I’m going to go to the corner over there, about 80 feet away’ And then, two men, Loay Alnaji [who has been charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and Battery Causing Serious Bodily Injury in Kessler’s death] and another guy came over and started with me. They said, ‘Hitler should have killed you and your family, smashed you, Jewboy. When I tell you that I have never experienced hate like that in my life, I haven’t.”

Oswaks described the men standing inches from his face, almost touching him, screaming in his ear, using antisemitic slurs and holding a megaphone.

“I turned around and said, ‘I know you are not from around here, so let me tell you, you need to get out of my space.’ They backed out, but then they started again. I said, ‘That’s strike two.’ I turned around and said, ‘Don’t even think about it, because I’ll destroy you. They looked at each other and realized that they wouldn’t be able to engage me.’”

At that point, said Oswaks, the two men decided to leave him and cross the street where Kessler was standing quietly, holding a big Israeli flag. “It wasn’t 90 seconds from the time that they walked over that Paul was down on the ground,” said Oswaks.

The prosecution alleges Alnaji struck Kessler with a megaphone at the protest, causing him to fall and hit the back of his head on the sidewalk. He died the next day from his injuries.

Oswaks and Kessler were both the same age. Kessler was 69 when he was killed. Both men were retired and passionate supporters of Israel. Oswaks said he tried to reach out to Kessler’s family and visit them but was told it wouldn’t be a good idea, so he never met them.

Rabbi Mark Blazer of Santa Clarita’s Temple Beth Ami opened the memorial by talking about what happened the day before in Amsterdam. A group of pro-Palestinian supporters attacked fans of an Israeli football club who came to support the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team. The attack took place after the match between the Israeli team and the Dutch club Ajax. The rioters actively sought out Israelis, demanded they show their passports and attacked them. According to reports, some were stabbed and some were run over, and many were brutally kicked. The pro-Palestinians demanded they say, “Free Palestine,” before releasing them. Some were thrown into the river. A dozen Israelis were hospitalized. All fans returned to Israel immediately after the attack.

“This last year has been very difficult for us here, but it’s been extremely difficult for our brothers and sisters in Israel,” Blazer said. “When we told people we are going to be here at this time, we had no idea that literally in the last 24 hours, Jews would be attacked, victims of the pogrom in Amsterdam. This weekend commemorates Kristallnacht, 86 years ago, the Holocaust entered a new chapter when Jews in Germany and Austria were attacked. Jewish businesses and synagogues were attacked and burned. And in Amsterdam, the city of Anne Frank, to watch it happen again … we had no idea that we would have to pray for our brothers and sisters in Amsterdam.” As cars at the major intersection continued beeping in support, Cantor Kenny Ellis of Temple Beth Ami recited Kaddish while Oswaks held the microphone for him.

Participants, including the Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Southwest Israel Bachar then sang “Am Yisrael Chai” and concluded the ceremony with the singing of the Israeli anthem, “Hatikvah.”

Oswaks said he could feel his friend’s “Neshama [spirit] right here. I can feel it on my back. I just want to tell you Paul, I’ll be here for you and your family, and I’ll do your name proud anywhere it needs to be said.”

“I’ll do your name proud anywhere it needs to be said.” – Jonathan Oswaks

Alnaji has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury, both felonies. He is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on November 13 for a pre-trial conference for a potential resolution. If one is not reached, a jury trial will start by Jan. 13, 2025.