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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shootings in DC and firebombs in Boulder: Attacks mark dangerous surge in antisemitism
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to accurately reflect the mission of Run for Their Lives to raise awareness about the hostages held in Gaza. A man firebombed the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in April, hours after the governor and his family hosted more than two dozen people to celebrate the first night of Passover. The suspected arsonist targeted the governor because of "what he wants to do to the Palestinian people," according to police records. Two weeks ago, a man shot and killed a young couple outside the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. "Free Palestine," the man shouted. "I did it for Gaza," he later told investigators. Then, on June 1, a man hurled Molotov cocktails at a peaceful gathering in Boulder, Colorado, to support the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Hurling abuse at the Run for Their Lives crowd, the attacker shouted "Free Palestine" as he set fire to several people, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. These attacks come after years of escalating rhetoric, protests and demonstrations against the war in Gaza. A report released last month found that antisemitic incidents across America hit a record high for the fourth year running last year, and the same researchers worry that trend will continue throughout 2025. The wave of attacks has Jewish communities across the country on high alert. And it has experts and analysts who study extremist movements concerned the antisemitism that has already flooded online spaces and infested some protests on college campuses and elsewhere could be entering a more deadly phase. 'The Jewish community is used to having bulletproof glass and metal detectors at their institutions, but this was a public gathering,' Oren Segal, the Anti-Defamation League's senior vice president of counter-extremism and intelligence, told USA TODAY after the Boulder attack. 'The Jewish community is now concerned about being publicly Jewish.' Antisemitic violence is, of course, not new in America. The deadliest anti-Jewish attack in U.S. history occurred just seven years ago, in 2018, at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were shot to death and six were wounded. The country also saw periods of antisemitic violence in the 1980s and '90s, including bombings and targeted assassinations by a White supremacist group. Though the new wave of violence certainly appears to have been inspired by the war in Gaza, there are notable differences between the attacks in Washington and the one in Boulder, said Javed Ali, senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council in 2017 and 2018. The suspect in the District of Columbia shooting had recently been involved in leftist politics and protesting, but the suspect in the Colorado attack had spent more than a year planning his assault and doesn't appear to have been involved in the protest movement, Ali said. 'We've seen these waves of antisemitic violence throughout modern U.S. history,' Ali said. 'Is this now presenting another one of these kinds of waves? Hopefully it doesn't get bigger than these two attacks.' In the Washington attack and the assault in Boulder, the perpetrators shouted about the war in Gaza. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect in the Boulder attack, said he specifically targeted the group because of its pro-Israel stance and stated he 'would do it again,' according to a court filing from the FBI. Ali said it stands to reason that the more people grow angry about the war, the more likely it is that some will become radicalized and, in turn, that some will take violent action. That's typically how social movements spawn violent domestic extremists, Ali said. It's essentially a numbers game. 'If there's a bigger pool of people who are radicalized, then potentially that increases the probability that there will be a smaller number of people who funnel from that larger pool of radicalization into the violent action, and maybe, maybe, that's what we're seeing now,' he said. The ADL's Segal put it differently. He said the protest movement has consistently and unfairly blurred the lines between the actions of the Israeli government and the Jewish people at large. Violence is the inevitable result of that bias, he said. 'When you have 600-plus days of rhetoric that is not just about opposition to Israeli government policy but that often features language that dehumanizes Israelis, Zionists and Jews, it creates an atmosphere in which these plots and attacks are much more likely.' The events in Colorado and Washington and the arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor's mansion in April are part of a pattern in which anti-Israel sentiment is used as a justification for antisemitic violence, said Halie Soifer, chief executive officer of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, a Washington-based group that calls itself the voice for Jewish Democrats. 'We see a deeply troubling pattern, and it has shattered a sense of security that we should have as American Jews,' Soifer said. Synagogues and other Jewish establishments increased their security after the Tree of Life shooting. Ever since that attack, people entering synagogues typically go through security measures similar to TSA airport checkpoints, Soifer said. 'You go through a mag, and there is a device to check bags,' she said. But the latest attacks have been largely outdoors, which requires another layer of security that wasn't necessarily needed before. Groups are now considering how to create larger perimeters around Jewish institutions and gatherings, she said. 'This has created a crisis in terms of every Jewish American rethinking their security,' Soifer said. 'It's devastating to think we're at a point where that's needed. But we are.' Students at the University of Denver were already concerned about the rise of antisemitic violence across the country, said Adam Rovner, director of the university's Center for Judaic Studies. The attack on the marchers in Boulder heightens their fears, he said. 'Some people feel frightened. Some people feel angry,' Rovner said. 'Some people feel resolute and a sense of solidarity.' Rovner said that when he went to synagogue on June 1, members of the congregation were warned not to mill around outside the building because it was the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and there were fears of an attack. Since the attack on the marchers in Colorado, 'there is just a real awareness that Jewish events are requiring extremely high levels of security all the time, and there is a very strong awareness that Jews are targets,' said Rachel Harris, director of Jewish Studies at Florida Atlantic University. There is also a growing concern that the public tends to normalize terrorism against Jews by attributing it to political protest, Harris said. 'Any other group that is targeted by acts of terrorism, we call them acts of terrorism,' she said. 'We don't try and normalize that. This continued refrain that says, well, they shouted 'free Palestine,' so it was really a political gesture, is really disturbing.' Everyone has the right to protest and peacefully voice their opinion, Rovner said. 'There are certainly horrors that the Palestinians are suffering,' he said. 'There are certainly horrors that Israelis and Jews are suffering. They don't cancel each other out. They both exist. The people who can't seem to contain two conflicting opinions in their mind at the same time are the ones who lash out violently. They are simple-minded, idealized.' Twenty-four hours after the attack in Boulder, Lisa Turnquist returned to Pearl Street to lay flowers and a small Israeli flag at a small memorial. Police say Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who overstayed his visa, threw Molotov cocktails at the marchers while yelling 'Free Palestine.' Twelve people, ages 52 to 88, suffered burn injuries ranging from serious to minor. Turnquist, 66, said she had attended the Sunday marches, rain snow or shine, in which demonstrators call for the militant group Hamas to release the Israeli hostages it is holding in Gaza. She was just arriving June 1 when she saw flames on a woman's legs. Turnquist, who is Jewish, said she grabbed a towel from her dog stroller and used it to smother the flames. Turnquist said she started going to the marches a few weeks after they began in the wake of the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. She recounted how week after week the walkers have been confronted with allegations that they are complicit in genocide for demanding that Hamas release the hostages. "We just want them home, and that's why we do this," she said. The morning after the attack, she woke up and didn't want to get out of bed. But she did. 'This is when we have to get up and stand up,' she said, 'and we have to push back.' Contributing: Trevor Hughes This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Violent antisemitic attacks mark new phase in anti-Israel protests
USA Today
5 days ago
- General
- USA Today
Shootings in DC and firebombs in Boulder: Attacks mark dangerous surge in antisemitism
Shootings in DC and firebombs in Boulder: Attacks mark dangerous surge in antisemitism Show Caption Hide Caption Jewish Boulder resident recounts attack at pro-Israel protest Lisa Turnquist, a Jewish Boulder resident, used her a towel she had to smother flames on an elderly woman after an attack at a pro-Israel protest. A man firebombed the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in April, hours after the governor and his family hosted more than two dozen people to celebrate the first night of Passover. The suspected arsonist targeted the governor because of "what he wants to do to the Palestinian people," according to police records. Two weeks ago, a man shot and killed a young couple outside the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. "Free Palestine," the man shouted. "I did it for Gaza," he later told investigators. Then, on June 1, a man hurled Molotov cocktails at a peaceful gathering of pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder, CO. Hurling abuse at the crowd, the attacker shouted "Free Palestine" as he set fire to several people, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. These violent attacks come after years of escalating rhetoric, protests and demonstrations against the ongoing war in Gaza. A report released last month found that antisemitic incidents across America hit a record high for the fourth year running last year, and the same researchers worry that trend will continue throughout 2025. The recent wave of attacks has Jewish communities across the country on high alert. And it has experts and analysts who study extremist movements concerned the antisemitism that has already flooded online spaces and infested some protests on college campuses and elsewhere could now be entering a more deadly phase. 'The Jewish community is used to having bulletproof glass and metal detectors at their institutions, but this was a public gathering,' The ADL's Senior Vice President of Counter-Extremism and Intelligence Oren Segal told USA TODAY of the Boulder attack. 'The Jewish community is now concerned about being publicly Jewish.' Antisemitic violence is, of course, not new in America. The deadliest anti-Jewish attack in U.S. history occurred just seven years ago, in 2018, at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were shot and killed and six more were injured. The country also saw periods of antisemitic violence in the 1980s and 90s, including bombing attacks and targeted assassinations by a white supremacist group. While the new wave of violence certainly appears to have been inspired by the war in Gaza, there are notable differences between the attacks in Washington, D.C. and the one in Boulder, said Javed Ali, senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council in 2017 and 2018. The suspect in the Washington D.C. shooting had recently been involved in leftist politics and protesting, but the suspect in the Colorado attack had spent more than a year planning his assault, and doesn't appear to have been involved in the protest movement, Ali said. 'We've seen these waves of antisemitic violence throughout modern U.S. history,' Ali said. 'Is this now presenting another one of these kinds of waves? Hopefully it doesn't get bigger than these two attacks.' '600-plus days of rhetoric' In both the Washington attack and the assault in Boulder, the perpetrators shouted about the war in Gaza. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect in the Boulder attack, said he specifically targeted the group because of its pro-Israel stance and stated he 'would do it again,' according to a court filing from the FBI. Ali said it stands to reason that the more people who are angry about the war, the more likely it is that some will become radicalized and, in turn, that some will take violent action. That's typically how social movements spawn violent domestic extremists, Ali said. It's essentially a numbers game. 'If there's a bigger pool of people who are radicalized, then potentially that increases the probability that there will be a smaller number of people who funnel from that larger pool of radicalization into the violent action, and maybe, maybe that's what we're seeing now,' he said. The ADL's Segal put it differently. He said the protest movement has consistently and unfairly blurred the lines between the actions of the Israeli government and the Jewish people at large. Violence like the recent attacks is the inevitable result of that bias, he said. 'When you have 600-plus days of rhetoric that is not just about opposition to Israeli government policy, but that often features language that dehumanizes Israelis, Zionists and Jews, it creates an atmosphere in which these plots and attacks are much more likely,' Segal said. Widening the security cordon The events in Colorado and Washington and the arson fire at the Pennsylvania governor's mansion in April are part of a pattern in which anti-Israel sentiment is used as a justification for antisemitic violence, said Halie Soifer, chief executive officer of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, a Washington-based group that calls itself the voice for Jewish Democrats. 'We see a deeply troubling pattern, and it has shattered a sense of security that we should have as American Jews,' Soifer said. Synagogues and other Jewish establishments increased their security after the Tree of Life shooting. Ever since that attack, people entering synagogues typically go through security measures similar to TSA airport checkpoints, Soifer said. 'You go through a mag, and there is a device to check bags,' she said. But the recent attacks have been largely outdoors, which requires another layer of security that wasn't necessarily needed before. Groups are now considering how to create larger perimeters around Jewish institutions and gatherings, she said. 'This has created a crisis in terms of every Jewish American rethinking their security,' Soifer said. 'It's devastating to think we're at a point where that's needed. But we are.' Students at the University of Denver were already concerned about the rise of antisemitic violence across the country, said Adam Rovner, director of the university's Center for Judaic Studies. The attack on the marchers in Boulder heightens their fears, he said. 'Some people feel frightened. Some people feel angry,' Rovner said. 'Some people feel resolute and a sense of solidarity.' Rovner said when he went to synagogue on Sunday, members of the congregation were warned not to mill around outside the building because it was the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and there were fears of an attack. Since the attack on the marchers in Colorado, 'there is just a real awareness that Jewish events are requiring extremely high levels of security all the time, and there is a very strong awareness that Jews are targets,' said Rachel Harris, director of Jewish Studies at Florida Atlantic University. There is also a growing concern that the public tends to normalize terrorism against Jews by attributing it to political protest, Harris said. 'Any other group that is targeted by acts of terrorism, we call them acts of terrorism,' she said. 'We don't try and normalize that. This continued refrain that says, well, they shouted 'free Palestine,' so it was really a political gesture, is really disturbing.' Everyone has the right to protest and peacefully voice their opinion, Rovner said. 'There are certainly horrors that the Palestinians are suffering,' he said. 'There are certainly horrors that Israelis and Jews are suffering. They don't cancel each other out. They both exist. The people who can't seem to contain two conflicting opinions in their mind at the same time are the ones who lash out violently. They are simple minded, idealized.' 'We have to push back' Twenty-four hours after the attack in Boulder, Lisa Turnquist returned to Pearl Street to lay flowers and a small Israeli flag at a small memorial. Police say Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who overstayed his visa, threw Molotov cocktails at the marchers while yelling 'Free Palestine.' Twelve people, ages 52 to 88, suffered burn injuries ranging from serious to minor. Turnquist, 66, said she'd been a regular attendee at the Sunday marches, rain snow or shine, in which participants call for Hamas to release the Israeli hostages it is holding in Gaza. She was just arriving on June 1 when she saw flames on a woman's legs. Turnquist, who is Jewish, said she grabbed a towel from her dog Jake's stroller and used it to smother the flames on the elderly woman's legs. Turnquist said she started participating a few weeks after the marches began following the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. Her voice alternately tearful and angry, she recounted how week after week the walkers have been confronted with allegations that they are complicit in genocide for demanding Hamas release its hostages. "We just want them home, and that's why we do this," she said. The morning after the attack, she woke up and didn't want to get out of bed. But she did. 'This is when we have to get up and stand up,' she said, 'and we have to push back.' Contributing: Trevor Hughes
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Suspect in Colorado Molotov Cocktail Attack on Pro-Israel March Charged With Hate Crime
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian man arrested for throwing Molotov cocktails at attendees of a Boulder, Colorado, march Sunday in support of Israel hostages still in Gaza, was officially charged with committing a federal hate crime on Monday. According to an F.B.I. affidavit, Soliman told investigators in a post-arrest interview that he had been planning his anti-Israel attack for a year and that he was driven to 'kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead.' Soliman is expected to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. local time in Boulder. While throwing two Molotov cocktails at the Sunday demonstration's marchers, Soliman reportedly yelled, 'Free Palestine!' Following his arrest, law enforcement officials found a container owned by Soliman filled with 14 more unlit Molotov cocktails. Eight people, four men and four women, suffered burns and other injuries from Soliman's terror attack and were hospitalized. On X, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, announced that Soliman had entered the United States in August 2022 with a temporary visa. He filed for asylum in the U.S. a month later, but ultimately overstayed his visa, which expired in February 2023. 'The Colorado Terrorist attack suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally in our country,' McLaughlin wrote in a tweet published early Monday. Soliman was identified by witnesses as the assailant and was subsequently taken into custody in the Boulder County Jail and initially booked with multiple felony charges. His attack comes not even two weeks after two Israeli Embassy aides were shot and killed outside of the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. In April, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family also survived an arson attack on their home that occurred just hours after Passover Seder. Soliman's attack is just the latest event to stem from the ongoing — and growing — international fallout of the Israel-Hamas war that has been raging since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The post Suspect in Colorado Molotov Cocktail Attack on Pro-Israel March Charged With Hate Crime appeared first on TheWrap.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
People react to Israeli embassy shooting: It's 'the definition of antisemitism'
People react to Israeli embassy shooting: It's 'the definition of antisemitism' Two Israeli embassy staff members were fatally shot while exiting the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Show Caption Hide Caption Two Israeli Embassy Workers Killed Outside Jewish Museum In DC Two Israeli embassy workers were killed on May 21, near the Jewish Capital Museum in Washington DC. unbranded - Newsworthy WASHINGTON – Sarah Remes prepared herself for the sight of yellow caution tape and blinking police lights on her walk to work the morning of May 22. It didn't help. She burst into tears anyway. At about 9 p.m. the night before, steps away from where Remes walked, two Israeli embassy staff members were fatally shot while exiting the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, had been leaving the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats reception. The murder suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, allegedly chanted "Free Palestine, Free Palestine.' Police are still investigating the motive behind the crime. More: 'Senseless hate': 2 Israeli embassy staffers fatally shot at Jewish event: Live updates But for Remes, who describes herself as a 'culturally observant jew,' the shock of seeing the crime scene this morning crystalized a terrifying thought: 'two people had been murdered because they were Jewish,' she said. Most people USA TODAY spoke to near the Capitol Jewish Museum expressed similar fear. They said the killings sparked a mix of anger, pain and sadness. Some said the murders highlighted the need for more nuanced discussions about antisemitism in the United States and the ongoing Israeli Palestinian conflict. A need for nuance Since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Remes' said the sight of the Capital Jewish Museum on her near-daily walks has served as a reminder of community. Its presence, she said, gave her relief. 'Like many Jewish Americans, we have buried in our DNA this idea that (expletive)could hit the fan at any time,' Remes, 41, told USA TODAY. 'The events of Oct. 7 brought that to the forefront for me and for a lot of people.' The shooting shattered any sense of safety she felt. 'Do I now have to be scared if I go there, or any other Jewish space? The answer is yes,' she wrote in a post on Facebook. A self-described critic of the Israeli government's actions in Gaza and Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, Remes said the murders have also confirmed her deep-seeded concerns about the black-and-white way people discuss the conflict. 'Some people have conflated criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and I think it is very possible and very legitimate to criticize Israel and the positions of the Israeli government, and that doing so is not in and of itself, antisemitic,' she said over the phone. 'But killing people because they are Jewish, even if you are acting out of an anger about the Israeli government's actions … is the definition of antisemitism,' Reme added. Others milling around the security perimeter near the Capitol Jewish Museum expressed similar concerns. Anna Beth Havenar, 31, had just arrived at her hotel in Washington last night from Atlanta, with her friend, Mariah Charnock, 38, for a girl's vacation when their phones began blowing up with messages from friends asking if they were safe. The pair work for a Jewish-Christian bridge building organization, though neither of them is Jewish. Their visit to the nation's capital was a consolation prize, after a trip they planned to Israel was cancelled due to Houthi missile strikes. Havenar lived in the region for several years and said she has friends who live in both Israel and Gaza. 'My mom texted me this morning. She's like, I can't believe like, you couldn't go to Israel because of violence, and you went to D.C. instead, and now look what happened,' Havenar said. The AJC's Young Diplomats event, which was themed around turning pain into purpose and addressing humanitarian crises, would have been right up their alley, Charnock said. Havenar lived in the region for several years and said she has friends who live in Israel and Gaza. 'It's really sad, and my heart's broken,' Havenar said. 'People don't understand that you can absolutely have compassion and seek justice and long for that without demonizing one side.' Mourning the loss Nissimmi Naim Naor, 41, stood by the caution tape staring at the scene for more than half an hour. A rabbi from Jerusalem, Naim Naor had been visiting cities along the east coast of the United States for about a week to teach workshops. He said he walked the streets of Washington, D.C. last night, and heard about the shooting when he got to his hotel room. 'I just felt like I had to come,' he said of the site of the shooting. 'I'd like to remind the Jewish community in the U.S. how our hearts are open with them, and how much we feel the same way they felt on Oct. 7,' he said. 'It was important to me to come here to show this, to tell them that we're standing with them.'
