Jewish Man Dies After Being Assaulted During Pro-Palestinian Arab Protest in Los Angeles

Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, died in Los Angeles after being assaulted by a pro-Palestinian Arab protester with a megaphone during demonstrations in the northern part of the city, Israeli media reported on Monday, November 6.

According to the report, Los Angeles law enforcement confirmed on Monday that the Jewish man died as a result of a head injury after the pro-Palestinian Arab protester attacked him with a megaphone.

Witnesses at the scene said a verbal altercation broke out between Kessler and a young protester when the protester struck the older man in the head with a megaphone he was holding.

Kessler fell to the ground, bleeding, and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, likely due to a brain hemorrhage. Israelis who were present at the scene told the Israeli news outlet that it was “a terrifying sight” and expressed shock that such an incident took place in their neighborhood.

The incident was filmed on the attacker's mobile device and has been seized by local police as evidence in their investigation into the incident. Police have not provided further details on the investigation and would not specify whether the suspect was arrested.

The incident comes amid a disturbing rise in antisemitism in the US; last Friday night, a Jewish student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was assaulted during a Shabbat event in honor of the hundreds of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza. In Florida, a man was charged with calling a Jewish organization and threatening to kill Jewish people, after he allegedly called the World Jewish Congress in New York City and left a threatening voicemail. (INN / VFI News)

“God, we ask that You would comfort the family of the Jewish man who is mourning his tragic loss. We offer our sincerest condolences to all of his loved ones and we pray that You will put an end to these hateful antisemitic attacks. We hope that there will be international outrage and condemnation of such crimes and that world leaders will take active steps to fight antisemitism in their countries.”