Jewish Man Assaulted Outside Los Angeles Synagogue in Antisemitic Attack

A Jewish man was choked, slammed against a wall, and thrown to the ground outside a Los Angeles synagogue Monday night in what police are investigating as a hate crime. The assault happened around 10 p.m. in an alley behind Congregation Adas Torah in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States.

“I feared for the end of my life,” the victim, a 32-year-old Judaic studies teacher, told reporters. “My whole life flashed in front of me.”

The victim told JNS he had been walking home from the Merkaz Hatorah Community Kollel when he noticed a gray Honda Odyssey minivan slowly following him through the alley. The driver then stopped the vehicle, exited, and attacked him.

“He had me in a chokehold and whacked my head against the wall,” the victim told KTLA.

The attacker then threw him to the ground. As he lay on the pavement, the victim said the suspect stared at him and shouted, “Free Palestine,” before returning to the vehicle and fleeing the scene. The victim ran back to the kollel and contacted police from there. According to the ADL, the victim was visibly identifiable as Jewish and had exited the synagogue through a rear entrance shortly before the assault.

The suspect was described as an African-American man just under six feet tall with an average build, wearing a dark blue hoodie and camouflage hat. Surveillance cameras captured the incident, according to synagogue representatives and community security officials.

LAPD spokeswoman Rosario Cervantes confirmed that officers filed reports for felony battery and a hate crime. No arrests had been announced as of Wednesday, and the investigation remained ongoing.

Israeli Consul General to the Pacific Southwest Israel Bachar attended morning prayers at Adas Torah following the attack and condemned the assault. “We will never allow hate to win,” Bachar said. “We must ensure that good triumphs over antisemitism’s evils.”

Ron Galperin, interim Los Angeles regional director of the American Jewish Committee, said the assault reflected a broader trend. “This attack was not an isolated act of violence,” Galperin said. “It reflects a troubling pattern: the normalization of antisemitic behavior in our communities.”

The victim said the incident has changed how he views daily life in his own neighborhood. “You take your regular daily walk for granted, which you think should be fine and safe,” he said. “Now it’s a little bit hard to walk to shul.” He added that the attack should serve as a warning to the broader Jewish community. “This can happen to anyone walking the streets, anyone with their groceries, anyone.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League, more than 530 verified antisemitic incidents were recorded in the Los Angeles area in 2024, including 18 physical assaults. Adas Torah itself became a national flashpoint in June 2024, when violent anti-Israel demonstrations outside the synagogue led to clashes and blocked access to the building.