A Jewish man was attacked Monday night outside a synagogue in Los Angeles’ Pico-Robertson neighborhood in an incident being investigated by police as a hate crime. According to the victim, the attacker shouted “Free Palestine” during the assault.
The attack was captured on security cameras. The footage clearly shows the attacker and the license plate of the vehicle he arrived in. The attacker pushed the Jewish man against a wall and tried to choke him as the victim attempted to defend himself.
The victim, a father of three who asked to remain anonymous out of concern for his safety, told NBC Los Angeles he was attacked while walking home from Adas Torah synagogue. He said that around 10 p.m., a man got out of a car near an alley behind the building, lunged at him and grabbed him by the neck.
“I feared for the end of my life,” he said. “My whole life flashed in front of me. I thought that this was it. This is how it's going to end.”
He said the attacker shoved him from side to side before knocking him to the ground.
“As I'm on the floor, vulnerable, and like in shock, he gives me a stare, a very dirty look stare, and says two words: ‘Free Palestine,’” the victim said.
As of Wednesday night, no arrests had been made. Police urged anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact the West Los Angeles police station, and said the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
Dan Braum, director of operations for the Jewish community public safety organization Shmira, told the Jewish Journal that for every such incident caught on camera, several others are not recorded. He said the Jewish community must remain alert and avoid walking alone in dark alleys whenever possible, and expressed hope that Los Angeles city officials would invest more in street lighting.
“Any legal weapon is a good idea to carry,” Braum said. “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.”
First published: 08:59, 04.30.26