Antisemitic Sukkot Attacks In LA and Chicago

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is called z’man simchaseinu, (the time of our happiness), and as millions of Jews around the world have been rejoicing this week with festive meals, prayers, concerts, and family outings, some antisemites tried to dampen the mood.

On Wednesday night, a modern Orthodox shul in LA was left shocked when a man attempted to ram his car into a crowd of people during a concert. Magen Am, a non-profit that provides security to Jewish institutions, said the attacker allegedly sped up down the one-way alley into a crowd of of young families as the concert at Shaarei Tefila was wrapping up. Thankfully, the concert goers got out of the way in time before the assailant stopped short in front of a metal gate, yelling “f**k the Jews” and left – clip here. Witnesses said before the attack the perp had canvassed the event and screaming, “I’m a real Muslim, I’ll show you what real terrorism looks like.” Read more here.

Earlier in the week, a Chicago Sukkah put up by Chabad was vandalized. While the structure has been placed at Daley Plaza for the past 34 years without any notice or harm, this year, unfortunately was different. See more here.

If you found this content meaningful and want to help further our mission through our Keter, Makom, and Tikun branches, please consider becoming a Change Maker today.

Allison Josephs

Allison Josephs is the founder and executive director of Jew in the City has been involved in the field of Jewish Outreach for over twenty years and is the Partner in Torah mentor to actress Mayim Bialik. She was named one of NJOP’s Top Ten Jewish Influencers and one of the Jewish Week’s 36 under 36. Allison has been quoted or written about in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, People Magazine, NYPost, Daily News, TMZ, The Daily Beast, and Hollywood Reporter. She has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including CBS, ABC, Fox5, TLC, Associate Press TV, and NPR; her articles have appeared in publications including The Washington Post, JTA, Jewish Week, Jerusalem Post, The Forward, and Kveller. Pearson Education, the largest textbook company in the world, produced a video segment on Allison’s life for the Judaism chapter of their textbook. She is a sought-after international lecturer whose corporate clients include Con-Edison and NYU Langone and hosts a weekly podcast on the Nachum Segal Network. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in Philosophy and lives with her husband and four children minutes from the George Washington Bridge.