A Jewish man in his 30s was walking home from his synagogue when he was suddenly attacked by a man wearing a baseball cap. CCTV footage shows the attacker pushing the Jewish man against a wall and attempting to choke him, while the victim fights him off.
The incident occurred on Monday at around 9:50 p.m. in a back alley behind Adas Torah. The Orthodox Jewish man lives near the Pico-Robertson synagogue and was walking along Alcott Street when he was attacked. It was a shortcut he had taken many times before without incident—until this time.
Dan Braum, director of operations for the public safety organization Shmira, said the attacker had a glass breaker in his hand. He suggested the suspect may have intended to use it to break into cars, but then saw an opportunity to attack a Jewish man.
“I can’t say what exactly he was doing there…He sees a very visibly Jewish man with a black fedora hat and black jacket, and he decides to attack him, screaming ‘Free Palestine’ and antisemitic things.”
In the video, the man, who is African-American, is seen running back to his car, then realizing he had dropped his glass breaker. He then exits the car to retrieve it, but because he did not put the car in park, it begins to roll. He then runs back to the vehicle and drives off, leaving the glass breaker behind.
The police later took it as evidence.
Braum said that for any incidents such as this one that are caught on camera, there are a few that aren’t. He suggested that the community should stay vigilant and try to avoid walking alone down dark alleys. He wished that the city would invest more in street lighting.
“Any legal weapon is a good idea to carry,” said Braum. “A firearm can be a double-edged sword, because the attacker didn’t have one, and he would have gotten in trouble if he had shot him.”
Kylie Ora Lobell, who along with her husband Danny, runs the community website picorobertson.com, said that since Oct. 7, 2023, many people in the neighborhood have been carrying pepper spray or pepper gel.
“We’re no stranger to these types of incidents,” she said. “Thankfully, it has been relatively quiet in terms of antisemitism, aside from the Adas Torah protests in June 2024, which turned violent and ugly.”
Lobell who lives in the area with her family, added, “I always encourage my community to stay vigilant. Always be aware of your surroundings, don’t look at your phone, and make sure you know what’s going on around you.”
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