UCLA medical student Eliana Jolkovsky arrived on Wednesday, December 3, at Wilshire Boulevard Temple and saw a group of about 15 protesters, their faces masked by keffiyehs, chanting, “Baby Killers,” “Zionist Pigs,” and “Occupation no more.”
Jolkovsky, who is also a Jewish activist with 30,000 followers on Instagram, asked one of the demonstrators why they were protesting in front of the synagogue. “We are protesting in front of a site that holds genocide supporters, and they are trying to bring it to K-town,” said the masked woman.
Wilshire Boulevard Temple is a historic synagogue located at 3663 Wilshire Blvd. in Koreatown. Founded in 1862, it is the oldest synagogue in Los Angeles.
Inside the historic temple that morning there was a lecture for the Korean community.
“We couldn’t hear the speakers because they were chanting so loudly outside,” said Jolkovsky in a phone interview with the Journal. “The event was done in coordination with the Korean community. I was very shaken up. The Koreans in the group were even more shaken up than we were and said to us, ‘So this is what you experience?’”
The lecture that day was meant to promote bridge-building, learning, and dialogue between the Israeli, Jewish, and Korean communities where the historic temple is situated.
“It was meant to teach the Korean community the safety strategies that the Jewish community uses when facing hate crimes and the surge of antisemitic rhetoric,” said Jolkovsky. “We wanted to unite the Jewish and Korean communities and share our knowledge with them because there is still anti-Asian hate.”
The lecture started at 9:30 a.m., but about an hour and a half into the event, two females in the audience suddenly stood up and began yelling.
“They screamed anti-Israel phrases at the top of their lungs,” recalled Jolkovsky. “Everyone told them to get out, this is not the place. We said there are children downstairs at the nursery and this is a place of worship, but they didn’t care.”
Security soon escorted them out, but seconds later, out of the blue, Jolkovsky heard the sound of shattering glass. One of the protesters, who had pretended to come for the lecture, smashed a glass vase inside the synagogue before being taken out as well.
The shards of broken glass nearly hit Jolkovsky and others in attendance.
“There were pieces of glass everywhere. It seemed like some protesters entered through different doors and pretended to be part of the event, but this guy smashed a glass vase and it shattered all over the floor. He said, ‘Genocidal terrorist, s**k my d—k,’ and other profanities.
“Security took him out, and then another girl started yelling about dead babies in Palestine. I turned around and saw that the wall behind me was all windows, and there was a man with a baby strapped to his chest and a stroller in front of him. He was yelling at us, and his toddler was scared and crying and didn’t know what was happening. It was really cowardly to hide behind his baby.”
Lawrence Peck, an advisor at the North Korea Freedom Coalition, told the Journal that he believes the protesters belonged to specific groups based on their online activity.
“Based on their social media posts calling for and promoting the protest at the synagogue, it appears that two of the groups involved were Nodutdol and Koreatown 4 Palestine. These groups have been holding protest rallies in Koreatown in which they condemn Israel and defend North Korea,” he said.
Mayor Karen Bass denounced the vandalism, calling the action “abhorrent and [something that] has no place in Los Angeles.”
“I received reports that individuals interrupted a private event at the historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown, calling attendees antisemitic names and damaging property inside the temple,” Bass wrote in a statement. “I spoke with Rabbi Nickerson to ensure he and his congregation know that the City of Los Angeles stands with them and fully condemns these attacks. I am grateful to the LAPD officers who addressed this disturbance. Additional LAPD officers have been deployed to patrol near areas of worship.”
LAPD Officers arrested two people, one for battery and another one for vandalism.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles released this statement:
“Earlier today, at an event being held at Wilshire Boulevard Synagogue intended to promote bridge building, learning and dialogue between the Israeli, Jewish, and AAPI communities, an antisemitic protest occurred that disrupted this peaceful gathering. Several arrests were made following the incident.
“Our Community Security Initiative (CSI) was present and participating on a panel there at the time.
“CSI is working with our local law enforcement partners to make sure those who caused the incident will be held accountable and our houses of worship continue to remain safe and protected.
“We are outraged and condemn this antisemitic behavior in the strongest of terms. There is no place in our community — or anywhere — for antisemitism and hate disguised as dissent.”
Rabbi Joel Nickerson of Wilshire Boulevard Temple released this statement:
“Today we saw a disturbing outbreak of hate outside Wilshire Boulevard Temple that resulted in arrests for battery and the destruction of property. These individuals targeted the Jewish community and chose to disrupt a community event on synagogue property that was focused on advancing public safety in Koreatown.
“We appreciate the strong support we have received from elected leaders and law enforcement and look forward to working with them to ensure that those responsible for this hateful and illegal conduct are held accountable. No one should be targeted in the City of Los Angeles on account of their faith.”
Rabbi Yossi Elifort of Magen Am, a security operation actively involved with with the community, released this statement:
“Events like this highlight why Magen Am believes in empowering our community to secure itself, and professionally manages our multiple layers of community events, institutional security, and patrol/response teams. Our community deserves to live and practice in peace, and we’ve built the capacity to accomplish these goals. It’s time we all come together and unite behind a future of a strong, resilient, secure Jewish community.”
