Lubavitch Man Targeted by Antisemite in San Diego

By COLlive reporter

A Lubavitcher man was attacked and his tzitzis torn and thrown on the floor last week near San Diego State University, S. Diego Jewish World reported.

Rabbi Aharon Shapiro, 65, who is visibly Jewish with a long white beard, tzitzit and a yarmulke, said he was followed into the 7-Eleven at 5100 College Avenue by a White man about 5’8 or 5’9 tall, and approximately 30-35 years old, with shoulder-length curly brown hair, who asked to know whether he was Jewish. The attacker then ripped his Tzitzis and then cursed Jews and Israel, Shapiro said.

“Unfortunately, we live in a country where our political leaders are not really friendly to Israel and we have enough simmering anti-Israel rhetoric and anti-Jewish rhetoric that is permeating America, so people pick up on it and want their five seconds of fame,” Shapiro said.

San Diego Police Lt. Adam Sharki said on Tuesday that the incident was being investigated as a hate crime. “SDPD stands united with our community against bigotry and aggressively investigates these types of incidents,” he said.

The Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federation of San Diego issued a statement saying the assault was “reprehensible and another indicator of the hatred that exists toward the Jewish community. We are grateful that San Diego Police are investigating this incident as a hate crime and call on local leaders to condemn this latest act of hate.”