Latest news with #Herzfeld
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rabbi who was attacked outside Israeli Embassy slams DC's handling of antisemitism
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2024, to pray for the safe return of the hostages. While he was there, Herzfeld was harassed by protesters who were accused of deafening him with megaphone sirens. The rabbi was then falsely accused of stalking and was later vindicated, with the accusers being ordered to pay for his $182,000 legal bills. Despite this, Herzfeld views the D.C. leadership's response to antisemitism as "insufficient," especially in light of the murders of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. "There's a pattern here of the D.C. government not doing enough to protect the Jewish community. And I said that to Mayor Bowser, and I think that enough is enough," Herzfeld told Fox News Digital. Deadly Dc Shooting Was 'Too Close For Every Jew In America,' Activist Says Herzfeld said he has known D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser personally "for many years" and that he believes she is "a good person, a genuine person." However, the rabbi still holds Bowser responsible for allowing an "antisemitic environment" to grow in D.C. to the point where Jewish residents feel unsafe — something the rabbi said he has heard from many Jews, including his own daughter. He told Fox News Digital that he holds the mayor responsible for "tolerating" antisemitism since Oct. 7. Elias Rodriguez, who was charged with the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim, was heard shouting "free, free Palestine" as he was arrested. According to court documents, he told D.C. police, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed." Read On The Fox News App Israeli Ambassador Connects Embassy Staffers' Slaying To 'Very Important' Bigger Picture After the reported statements by Rodriguez, and what he was heard shouting in a viral video, Herzfeld told Fox News Digital that it gives D.C. Jews "even more reason to be scared." "So, nobody's talking about taking away the rights to free speech. Everybody has the right to speak in a way that's part of society, in a way that does not endanger and threaten people. And now we know that those people who were at the at these rallies, which were being done in a frenzy, a threatening, intimidating manner, there's a reason why people are scared, because some people who associate with them are violent, and this person who went and killed, murdered." "On the streets of D.C. to people who supported Israel, this person was associated with that group. He shouted free Palestine. And so now we have even more reason to be scared as these free Palestine protesters are giving carte blanche on the street of D.C." In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, Bowser's office referred to the mayor's remarks at a news conference on May 22 following the shooting. "We are here to echo what the U.S. attorney has said, that this crime will not be tolerated in our city," Bowser said. She also lamented that D.C. has had "practice standing together as a community to fight antisemitism both in hate speech and hateful acts." U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who also spoke at the press conference, said she would not tolerate violent crimes such as the deadly shooting in front of the Jewish article source: Rabbi who was attacked outside Israeli Embassy slams DC's handling of antisemitism
Fox News
29-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Rabbi who was attacked outside Israeli Embassy slams DC's handling of antisemitism
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2024, to pray for the safe return of the hostages. While he was there, Herzfeld was harassed by protesters who were accused of deafening him with megaphone sirens. The rabbi was then falsely accused of stalking and was later vindicated, with the accusers being ordered to pay for his $182,000 legal bills. Despite this, Herzfeld views the D.C. leadership's response to antisemitism as "insufficient," especially in light of the murders of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. "There's a pattern here of the D.C. government not doing enough to protect the Jewish community. And I said that to Mayor Bowser, and I think that enough is enough," Herzfeld told Fox News Digital. Herzfeld said he has known D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser personally "for many years" and that he believes she is "a good person, a genuine person." However, the rabbi still holds Bowser responsible for allowing an "antisemitic environment" to grow in D.C. to the point where Jewish residents feel unsafe — something the rabbi said he has heard from many Jews, including his own daughter. He told Fox News Digital that he holds the mayor responsible for "tolerating" antisemitism since Oct. 7. Elias Rodriguez, who was charged with the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim, was heard shouting "free, free Palestine" as he was arrested. According to court documents, he told D.C. police, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed." After the reported statements by Rodriguez, and what he was heard shouting in a viral video, Herzfeld told Fox News Digital that it gives D.C. Jews "even more reason to be scared." "So, nobody's talking about taking away the rights to free speech. Everybody has the right to speak in a way that's part of society, in a way that does not endanger and threaten people. And now we know that those people who were at the at these rallies, which were being done in a frenzy, a threatening, intimidating manner, there's a reason why people are scared, because some people who associate with them are violent, and this person who went and killed, murdered." "On the streets of D.C. to people who supported Israel, this person was associated with that group. He shouted free Palestine. And so now we have even more reason to be scared as these free Palestine protesters are giving carte blanche on the street of D.C." In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, Bowser's office referred to the mayor's remarks at a news conference on May 22 following the shooting. "We are here to echo what the U.S. attorney has said, that this crime will not be tolerated in our city," Bowser said. She also lamented that D.C. has had "practice standing together as a community to fight antisemitism both in hate speech and hateful acts." U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who also spoke at the press conference, said she would not tolerate violent crimes such as the deadly shooting in front of the Jewish museum.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rabbi speaks out after anti-Israel activists who accused him of stalking forced to pay $182K legal bills
Anti-Israel demonstrators accused of having deafened a Washington, D.C. rabbi as he was trying to pray for Israel's hostages outside its U.S. embassy have been ordered to pay his $182,000 legal bills after falsely accusing him of stalking. Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld went to the Israeli embassy in D.C. on March 21, 2024, near the Jewish holiday of Purim, to pray for the Israelis taken captive by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. He went to the embassy because it was the closest place, in his mind, to Israel itself. When he arrived, the embassy was teeming with anti-Israel demonstrators. Among them were former UN official Hazami Barmada and Teachers Against Genocide founder Atefeh Rokhvand. Barmada and Rokhvand were staging daily demonstrations at the embassy at that time. As the rabbi solemnly prayed for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to return home, he encountered a "chaotic scene" of anti-Israel protesters who berated and mocked him. Ms. Barmada likened Herzfeld and his colleagues to "Nazis" and said his presence at the embassy was "hilarious." One-year Anniversary Of Oct. 7 Attacks Arrives With Lasting Trauma For Israelis, American Jews: Expert "It was the loudest outdoor scene I've ever seen in my life, it was ear-splitting, it was deafening… I never saw anything like that in DC," Herzfeld told Fox News Digital. Read On The Fox News App At some point, the rabbi referred to the anti-Israel demonstrators as "wicked," court papers said. Barmada, who was wearing headphones and speaking into a megaphone, proclaimed "it's time for the sirens" and the protesters began blasting loud sirens that Herzfeld alleged caused him ear damage. He filed a federal suit against Barmada and Rokhvand. The two women later filed their own suit against the rabbi for stalking. "It was Shabbos, my parents were over, and my children were there, and I come home from prayers. And my wife was, you know, horrified that police had – she said police came to our door and they left and they – and they gave me, you know, this temporary restraining order," Herzfeld said. Former Israeli Hostage Tells '60 Minutes' Trump Is The 'Only One' With Power To End War In Gaza At the three-day trial, anti-Israel demonstrators swarmed the courthouse and taunted the rabbi as he entered and exited, he claimed. He said it was highly stressful and was extremely embarrassed at the thought that his neighbors, who saw police arrive at his door, could have thought there was merit to the case. In court, Herzfeld consoled himself with scripture. "I was reciting Psalm 121 to myself, 'I lift up my eyes to the mountains from where will come my help.' I was reciting Psalm 132 [sic] to myself from the depths to – you know, to God as a prayer – 'From the depths I call out to you, Please, God, answer me,'" he recounted. The judge ruled against Barmada and Rokhvand, and ordered them to pay Herzfeld's legal fees, which amounted to $182,000. The judge noted that the two often engage in constitutionally protected abrasive behavior, such as Barmada throwing fake blood in the direction of cars entering or exiting then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken's home, and that the rabbi's actions at the embassy were also constitutionally protected speech, and he had not in fact stalked them. "There is no evidence that Respondent ever threatened the Petitioners. There is no evidence that he ever followed, monitored or placed them under surveillance. The only times he ever saw them was at the location of the protests on three occasions (only two with regard to Ms. Rokhvand). The evidence suggests that his presence on those occasions was not an attempt to locate Petitioners or any other particular individuals; he was going to the embassy to pray, observe the protests and at times (March 21 and May 2) make his own comments regarding the protests," the judge wrote. The lawyer for Barmada and Rokhvand, Gregg Lipper, said his clients would appeal the ruling, claiming the court's decision arose from "serious errors of law, fact, and procedure." Lipper claimed the rabbi and his associates made his clients "fear for their safety." "The court's judgment, which orders my clients to pay nearly $200,000 to the law firm opposing their petitions, improperly punishes my clients for trying to protect their rights in court," the lawyer said. "It's an especially bad time to discourage people from asking the court for help, given spikes in threats and violence against (among others) women, Muslims, and advocates for civil and human rights," he added. Herzfeld vowed to collect "every single cent" from the two women and called their lawsuit "an abuse of the U.S. judicial system." The rabbi vowed that the incident would not stop him from praying and speaking up for the hostages still trapped in Gaza. "I had no idea who these people were before I met them at the embassy… I only had three interactions with them. Their whole strategy was to attack me and then claim they were the victims. You know who else did that? Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7." Click Here For The Fox News App Barmada and Rokhvand did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for article source: Rabbi speaks out after anti-Israel activists who accused him of stalking forced to pay $182K legal bills
Fox News
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Rabbi speaks out after anti-Israel activists who accused him of stalking forced to pay $182K legal bills
Anti-Israel demonstrators accused of having deafened a Washington, D.C. rabbi as he was trying to pray for Israel's hostages outside its U.S. embassy have been ordered to pay his $182,000 legal bills after falsely accusing him of stalking. Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld went to the Israeli embassy in D.C. on March 21, 2024, near the Jewish holiday of Purim, to pray for the Israelis taken captive by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. He went to the embassy because it was the closest place, in his mind, to Israel itself. When he arrived, the embassy was teeming with anti-Israel demonstrators. Among them were former UN official Hazami Barmada and Teachers Against Genocide founder Atefeh Rokhvand. Barmada and Rokhvand were staging daily demonstrations at the embassy at that time. As the rabbi solemnly prayed for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to return home, he encountered a "chaotic scene" of anti-Israel protesters who berated and mocked him. Ms. Barmada likened Herzfeld and his colleagues to "Nazis" and said his presence at the embassy was "hilarious." "It was the loudest outdoor scene I've ever seen in my life, it was ear-splitting, it was deafening… I never saw anything like that in DC," Herzfeld told Fox News Digital. At some point, the rabbi referred to the anti-Israel demonstrators as "wicked," court papers said. Barmada, who was wearing headphones and speaking into a megaphone, proclaimed "it's time for the sirens" and the protesters began blasting loud sirens that Herzfeld alleged caused him ear damage. He filed a federal suit against Barmada and Rokhvand. The two women later filed their own suit against the rabbi for stalking. "It was Shabbos, my parents were over, and my children were there, and I come home from prayers. And my wife was, you know, horrified that police had – she said police came to our door and they left and they – and they gave me, you know, this temporary restraining order," Herzfeld said. At the three-day trial, anti-Israel demonstrators swarmed the courthouse and taunted the rabbi as he entered and exited, he claimed. He said it was highly stressful and was extremely embarrassed at the thought that his neighbors, who saw police arrive at his door, could have thought there was merit to the case. In court, Herzfeld consoled himself with scripture. "I was reciting Psalm 121 to myself, 'I lift up my eyes to the mountains from where will come my help.' I was reciting Psalm 132 [sic] to myself from the depths to – you know, to God as a prayer – 'From the depths I call out to you, Please, God, answer me,'" he recounted. The judge ruled against Barmada and Rokhvand, and ordered them to pay Herzfeld's legal fees, which amounted to $182,000. The judge noted that the two often engage in constitutionally protected abrasive behavior, such as Barmada throwing fake blood in the direction of cars entering or exiting then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken's home, and that the rabbi's actions at the embassy were also constitutionally protected speech, and he had not in fact stalked them. "There is no evidence that Respondent ever threatened the Petitioners. There is no evidence that he ever followed, monitored or placed them under surveillance. The only times he ever saw them was at the location of the protests on three occasions (only two with regard to Ms. Rokhvand). The evidence suggests that his presence on those occasions was not an attempt to locate Petitioners or any other particular individuals; he was going to the embassy to pray, observe the protests and at times (March 21 and May 2) make his own comments regarding the protests," the judge wrote. The lawyer for Barmada and Rokhvand, Gregg Lipper, said his clients would appeal the ruling, claiming the court's decision arose from "serious errors of law, fact, and procedure." Lipper claimed the rabbi and his associates made his clients "fear for their safety." "The court's judgment, which orders my clients to pay nearly $200,000 to the law firm opposing their petitions, improperly punishes my clients for trying to protect their rights in court," the lawyer said. "It's an especially bad time to discourage people from asking the court for help, given spikes in threats and violence against (among others) women, Muslims, and advocates for civil and human rights," he added. Herzfeld vowed to collect "every single cent" from the two women and called their lawsuit "an abuse of the U.S. judicial system." The rabbi vowed that the incident would not stop him from praying and speaking up for the hostages still trapped in Gaza. "I had no idea who these people were before I met them at the embassy… I only had three interactions with them. Their whole strategy was to attack me and then claim they were the victims. You know who else did that? Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7." Barmada and Rokhvand did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
