Jewish Americans are combatting anti-Semitism and open harassment by their neighbors, communities and housing authorities – and it is only getting worse.
First Liberty Institute, a legal nonprofit, is working on a series of first amendment religious discrimination cases on behalf of Jewish families, community leaders and individuals.
Many of the harassment and discrimination they have been dealing with came well before the October 7th bloody attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel.
And since the massacre that resulted in over 1,400 deaths, there has been an uptick in anti-Semitic events and attacks across the U.S.
One family in Florida is facing ‘ongoing, open antisemitism and discrimination’ by their home owners association (HOA).
In another case in Beverly Hills, California, Rabbi Illulian was bullied by the city for hosting prayer gatherings in his own home
After receiving a complaint from a private citizen in the neighborhood, Beverly Hills city officials started to surveil the individuals and cars coming in and out of the Rabbi’s home
Rabbi Hertzel and his wife say they have been unlawfully discriminated against by their local HOA for their orthodox Jewish faith since 2016, but it has reached ‘new levels’ in recent years.
The Boca Raton, Florida, HOA has allegedly squashed their efforts to build a synagogue by fostering a ‘hostile’ housing environment and ‘expressly invoking Nazi Germany’ in conversations with neighbors.
The Hertzels’ home has also been vandalized and HOA leadership has ‘openly admitted’ that they are going after them because they are religious Jews.
‘When we don’t commit ourselves to tolerating differences of opinion when it comes to religion, we become a very ugly people,’ Jeremy Dys, senior counsel for First Liberty Institute, told DailyMail.com.
‘And that ugliness just doesn’t exercise itself in terms of words. It far too often slides into some level of violence. That’s why we have to have the strong protections of religious freedom to avoid any potential slide down the path towards violence,’ Dys continued.
In another case in Beverly Hills, California, Rabbi Illulian was bullied by the city for hosting prayer and other religious gatherings in his own home.
After receiving a complaint from a private citizen in his neighborhood, Beverly Hills city officials started to surveil the individuals and cars coming in and out of the Rabbi’s home.
That included his uncles, siblings, cousins and other family members who celebrated Shabbat prayers and traditional religious holidays together.
In a few instances, a neighbor laid down nails and slashed the tires of the religious gatherers. They have also been ticketed by the city for parking outside the Rabbi’s home during prayers.
Dys said Rabbi Illulian’s case illustrates that if religious freedom protections are not enforced and ‘hecklers have the veto power’ over religious neighbors, it ‘never de-escalates it only escalates into something worse.’
After First Liberty intervened on behalf of the Rabbi, the city eventually backed down.
Another small Jewish congregation in Houston, Texas, had their power cut off after they started doing repairs to their synagogue.
The city said they needed permits to do the work on their place of worship, and the lights have remained off despite the start of Hanukkah and it being extremely dark at the start of wintertime.
Only once a legal case was brought to the Houston City Court on behalf of the congregation, the city eventually allowed power to be restored.
Attorneys on behalf of the synagogue say that there is still a concern about people inside the enforcement office ‘intimidating people’ from helping their client. So the case is being carefully watched to see if the city attempts to try and shut down power or stall the project in other ways.
The incidents of Jewish rabbis, communities and families being targeted by their local cities and neighbors comes as there has been a rise in anti-Semitic attacks in recent months.
Last month, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League said in an appearance on MSNBC that anti-Semitism has increased by a staggering 388 percent since Hamas’ barbaric assault on Israel that began on October 7.
In addition, Jewish sites across the United States reported 199 ‘swatting’ incidents in 24 hours, a security consultancy on December 16 alone, highlighting the surge in hoaxes and terrifying rhetoric since the October 7 Hamas attack.
The Secure Community Network, which monitors antisemitic threats and liaises with law enforcement, said the surge in swatting – prank calls made to emergency services, in an attempt to send a large number of armed police officers to a site – and bomb threats was deeply troubling.
Hoboken police stand watch outside a synagogue in their New Jersey city. A group says there were 199 ‘swatting’ reporters against Jewish facilities in a single day
A member of the New York Police Department patrols in front of the synagogue Congregation Bais Yaakov Nechamia Dsatmar on October 13 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Secure Community Network, which monitors antisemitic threats and liaises with law enforcement, said the surge in swatting since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel
Michael Masters, CEO of the network, said it was wrong to see the bomb threat hoaxes and fake emergency calls as harmless jokes, because they heaped trauma upon trauma, and can cause actual injury.
‘The alarming volume of swatting incidents and false bomb threats being carried out across the country is a major concern for the safety and security of the Jewish community in North America, as well as law enforcement,’ Masters said.
The stunning one-day total comes as 2023 has seen a massive 541 percent jump in similar hoaxes compared to this time last year.