Adas Torah in Los Angeles violently attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters at real estate event

On Sunday, June 23, a large group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered to block access to the Adas Torah congregation in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles, resulting in violent attacks on the neighborhood’s Jewish residents. According to several social media posts, the group attacked Adas Torah in response to an Israeli real estate event taking place at the synagogue. In an attempt to restore order, Los Angeles police officers arrived in riot gear and eventually arrested an individual carrying a post with a nail in it. There were numerous reports that the protesters used tear gas and bear spray against Adas Torah congregants.

The violence was captured on video and shared widely on social media, showing verbal altercations, punches and people being wrestled to the ground. The clash attracted much attention, including from officials who condemned the attacks as blatant anti-Semitism.

“The violence (on Sunday) was abhorrent, and blocking access to a place of worship is unacceptable,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “I want to make it clear that Los Angeles will not be a haven for anti-Semitism and violence. Those responsible for both will be found and held accountable.”

On Monday, President Joe Biden wrote on X that he was “horrified” by the scene outside Ada’s Torah. “Intimidating Jewish community members is dangerous, unconscionable, anti-Semitic and un-American.”

Rabbi Dovid Revah of Adas Torah told KABC that people are “afraid to come to the synagogue” and that these types of protests are “a violation of sacred space.”

Sunday’s violence is almost identical to the brutal Teaneck demonstration in March that took place outside Congregation Keter Torah, again to block access to an Israeli real estate event. At the time, The Jewish Link reported that nearly 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched to the synagogue, chanting anti-Israel slogans and attacking pedestrians. On that day, March 10, Teaneck police arrested two people and many more Jewish residents felt unsafe and shaken.

“(This protest) was a cynical attempt to target a religious institution under false pretenses as part of a coordinated and malicious campaign to harass the Jewish community of Teaneck,” Yigal Gross of the Bergen County Jewish Action Committee (BCJAC) told The Jewish Link in March.

The recent attack on Adas Torah in Los Angeles was also a targeted harassment campaign, with dozens of pro-Palestinian groups using social media to call for action. Organizations such as Code Pink and the Palestine Youth Movement urged protesters to gather outside Adas Shalom, using fear and intimidation tactics such as megaphones and pepper spray.

Following the violence, Los Angeles police are continuing their investigation into Sunday’s events, which also included two more reported assaults. In a statement, Los Angeles police reiterated that while protests are a right to free speech, “violence and crime will not be tolerated.”