Antisemitism is heating up in the quiet Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush, home to a large Orthodox Jewish community.
This past Shabbat afternoon (Nov. 25), there were three separate antisemitic attacks on Jews, all of them in the very heart of the neighborhood, perpetrated by three young punks wearing what appeared to be sweatsuits in white, red, and black/white.
The first incident took place at around 4 pm, on East 17th Street between Avenues J and K. The thugs yelled “Free Palestine!” before punching and kicking the victim.
The “Free Palestine” shout made it clear the assault was not a simple mugging: no, this was a brazen antisemitic hate crime.
The second physical assault took place a few minutes later, not far away, on East 18th Street between Avenues K and L. The second attacker kicked his victim but said nothing, however, which may be used later to mitigate the case in court if the suspects are caught.
The third attack took place on Avenue L and East 17th Street, not far from the Edward R. Murrow public high school. This attack also involved a physical assault (punching and kicking) and was irrefutably antisemitic, with the attackers again yelling “Free Palestine!”
It is clear from videos posted on social media and the body language of this little gang that they were out hunting Jews.
New York City Councilmember Kalman Yeger commented in a sarcastic tweet, “Guarantee that assaulting Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn won’t ‘free Palestine.’ NYPD Hate Crimes, NYPD 70 Pct and Flatbush Shomrim are hunting for these junior jihadis. They’ll be caught,” he added.
All three incidents are under investigation by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.
