Teens wearing ski masks yell antisemitic slurs outside of Broward synagogue, officials say
A group of teenagers riding bicycles while donning ski masks yelled “death to the Jews” outside a Broward County synagogue as congregants were leaving the building Saturday afternoon, according to officials.
Andrew Rader, president of the Congregation Kol Tikvah, on Sunday told the Miami Herald that the bicyclists — possibly teens — were spotted spewing the antisemitic remarks around 12:15 p.m. Rader, an attorney, said they never came onto the property, 6750 N University Dr. in Parkland, and that the incident lasted seconds.
“It was very unnerving to myself, obviously to those congregants, who were mostly seniors, and it was a cowardly act,” Rader said. “We will find out who this was and we will pursue this.”
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said on X, formerly Twitter, that it’s investigating what happened.
“According to investigators, witnesses stated 5 juveniles wearing face coverings on bicycles rode in the area screaming antisemitic slurs,” the sheriff’s office said. “Area searched, but subjects were not located.”
Rader said synagogue staff informed him of what happened shortly thereafter. He noted people are feeling more “emboldened” to display antisemitism after Hamas, a Palestinian militant group ruling Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
“Because of everything that has happened in Israel, it has made it hip or cool to be anti-Israel and anti-Jewish,” Rader said.
As of Saturday, 1,4000 Israelis have been killed, mostly during the Hamas attack, and 239 others are being held hostage in Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces. In Gaza, around 8,000 have been killed and more than 20,000 injured, says the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
This story was originally published October 29, 2023 at 8:44 PM.
