Joseph Bitton, a Jewish real estate agent in the Toronto area, was attacked this week by a man who allegedly threatened to kill him while shouting that Jews are “baby killers committing genocide.” Bitton sustained bruises and scratches. In a Facebook post, he wrote: “This is not the Canada where I grew up and lived for the past 64 years.”
In an interview with National Post, Bitton, who also works as a lawyer, said he was at a commercial property he manages in theJane Street and Lawrence Avenue West area of Toronto on Tuesday afternoon when a man allegedly began swinging a parking marker pole at him. “He said he was from Yemen and a Houthi,” said the kippah-wearing real estate agent.
Gallery
A Jewish real estate agent in the Toronto area was attacked by a man who allegedly threatened to kill him
(Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco)
Bitton said he called 911 as soon as the attack began. “First thing I told her was I’m being attacked because I’m visibly Jewish, and this fellow is threatening to kill me,” he said.
According to his account, the attacker threw debris that had been set out for garbage collection as well as additional objects. A brick was thrown first and struck his arm, followed by metal pieces and a tree branch. “I dodged all the projectiles he was throwing at me, blocked him with my arms. I’ve got lesions and scratches on both arms,” Bitton told the National Post. He later sought medical treatment.
Bitton said some people told him he should have knocked the attacker out. “I said, ‘Absolutely not. Then I would be arrested, and he would go free, and I would be the bad guy.’ So I deliberately just stayed 10 or 15 feet away. I evaded him and blocked with my arms. And then he just kept, you know, with his obscenities.”
Joseph Bitton: 'I’m being attacked because I’m visibly Jewish'
(Photo: From Joseph Bitton's Facebook page)
He said no one came to help during the incident, which lasted more than half an hour, including time near bus stops. “Nobody lifted a finger,” Bitton lamented. “There were dozens and dozens of witnesses at the bus stop, on the bus, at the other location across the street, at the original location. The only one single person that stepped out to help me was one retail tenant from the property that I manage, and he knows me. He came out when the guy was swinging this pylon, and tried to put distance between us and get the guy to stand down.”
Police charged Abdulkadir Al-Jelani, 58, of Toronto, with three counts of assault with a weapon and one count of uttering death threats. They are investigating the incident as a possible hate-motivated crime.
The Toronto Police Service also said that when a criminal offense such as assault or property damage is suspected to have been motivated by bias, prejudice or hatred, the investigating officer may consult with prosecutors to consider hate motivation as an aggravating factor in sentencing if there is a conviction.