A man attacked an elderly Jewish couple walking to their Synagogue in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday.
Raphy, 75, and his wife Rebecca, 70 were approached by a man who used a belt to attack Raphy. The attacker yelled, “Give me your earrings Jew,” according to Rebecca. The victims did not want their last names used for protection.
Raphy was treated at the scene for lacerations, and his wife was not injured.
NBC News reported:
A Jewish couple have spoken out after being targeted in an antisemitic attack and attempted robbery on their way to their local synagogue in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, on Saturday, in which they said a man screamed: “Give me your earrings, Jew.”
Raphy, 75, and Rebecca, 70, told NBC LA in a video interview on Sunday that the attack had left them shocked and shaken but more determined to practice their faith in the face of rising antisemitism across the U.S. The couple asked for their second names not to be reported for fear of reprisals.
“At first, it was a shock. There was a huge hard knock on my forehead here,” Raphy said pointing to his head.
“And all of a sudden I saw the guy hitting my husband with a belt and screaming, ‘Give me your earrings, Jew,’” Rebecca recalled.
Even with Raphy being hit on the forehead with the belt, that did not stop him from pursuing his attacker. Both of them chased the man and shortly after a police officer saw what happened.
The officer arrested the man, identified as Jarris Jay Silagi, 44. He was booked on alleged charges including, elder abuse, attempted robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon. California also has a hate crime enhancement which could increase jail time if found guilty.
Raphy was angrier about being attacked for being Jewish than for the injury itself. As a committed member of his Synagogue, even though he was attacked, he still went to the meeting for a reading of the Torah.
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Anti-Semitism has greatly increased since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October.
TGP reported on Sunday of a New York Jewish man who was beaten in front of his home the first night of Hanukkah.
Joshua Merenfeld, 40, was attacked on Friday night while standing outside in front of his apartment building in Crown Heights in Brooklyn.
The father of five was enjoying his night and minding his own business when an unknown attacker approached him. He called him a “Dirty Jew,” then hit him repeatedly and stomped on him after he fell to the ground. During the attack, he continued to say more anti-Semitic words and profanities.
As Merenfeld was lying on the ground severly injured, the attacker stole his phone and took off.
He was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries and released.
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