As he stood reading the Torah for Shavuot outside Temple Ramat Zion in Northridge, it should have been a day about faith, law, and celebration. Instead, it was marked by fear and trauma.
Twelve people, aged between 52 and 88, were injured after a man reportedly attacked a peaceful demonstration with Molotov cocktails. The event was one of the regular gatherings in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. According to the FBI, the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national who had overstayed his visa, used what they called a makeshift flamethrower. Witnesses said he shouted “Free Palestine” as he hurled the burning devices into the crowd, reported the Los Angeles Times.
The timing and similarity to another deadly incident in Washington just two weeks earlier have left many Jewish Americans feeling deeply vulnerable. In that case, two aides from the Israeli Embassy were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum, and the shooter reportedly yelled the same phrase. Just weeks before, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was set ablaze in what authorities say was a politically motivated act against his support for Israel.
“It’s remarkable to me that those who want to assault us are coming up with ever-new and novel ways to harm us and to try to kill us,” said Rabbi Farkas. “The community is terrified.”
Experts say we’re now seeing a surge in high-intensity attacks targeting Jews in ways that are not only more frequent but increasingly violent. Professor Brian Levin, who founded the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, described it as a shift into a whole new era of antisemitic violence. He noted that attacks are no longer just about graffiti or threats, but now resemble terror incidents with the goal of mass harm.
Levin pointed to record-breaking statistics. In 2023, anti-Jewish hate crimes in the US jumped by 63%, hitting a historic high of 1,832 incidents, according to FBI data. Even as anti-Muslim hate crimes went up 18%, anti-Jewish incidents marked their fourth consecutive yearly rise. Major cities reported huge increases in all religious hate crimes, but Jewish communities have borne the brunt.
This is happening while tensions in the Middle East remain white-hot. Gaza is facing devastating humanitarian conditions, with the UN warning of mass starvation. Israel recently eased a months-long blockade to allow in food, but conditions remain dire. More than 30 Palestinians were reportedly killed in southern Gaza on Sunday during an aid distribution. Accounts vary: some witnesses said Israeli troops fired on the crowd, while the military denied this, saying they did not target civilians.
Back in the US, experts like Levin say social media is making the situation worse. He describes it as an “unregulated, freewheeling online environment” where hate thrives and spreads rapidly. Graphic footage from the Gaza conflict floods online spaces, often stripped of context and used to fuel conspiracy theories and antisemitic narratives. This, Levin says, gives angry individuals not only a platform but also a distorted sense of justification.
“What happens is angry and unstable people not only find a home for their aggression, but a honed amplification and direction to it,” Levin said. “It is polished by this cesspool of conspiracism and antisemitism.”
As violence escalates and rhetoric becomes more extreme, Jewish communities across the US are being forced to grapple with a very real and rising threat, wondering what might happen next.