Jewish Americans are fighting anti-Semitism and overt harassment by their neighbors, communities and housing authorities – and it's only getting worse.
First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit legal organization, is working on a range of First Amendment religious discrimination cases on behalf of Jewish families, community leaders, and individuals.
Much of the harassment and discrimination they have faced occurred well before Hamas terrorists' bloody attack on Israel on October 7.
And since the massacre that left more than 1,400 dead, there has been an increase in anti-Semitic events and attacks across the US.
One family in Florida is facing “ongoing, overt anti-Semitism and discrimination” from their homeowners association (HOA).
In another case in Beverly Hills, California, Rabbi Illulian was bullied by the city for hosting prayer meetings in his own home
After receiving a complaint from a local private citizen, Beverly Hills city officials began monitoring people and cars entering and leaving the rabbi's home.
Rabbi Hertzel and his wife say they have been unlawfully discriminated against by their local homeowners' association because of their Orthodox Jewish faith since 2016, but that this has reached “new levels” in recent years.
The HOA in Boca Raton, Florida, has reportedly crushed their efforts to build a synagogue by promoting a “hostile” residential environment and “explicitly invoking Nazi Germany” in conversations with neighbors.
The Hertzels' home has also been destroyed and the homeowners' association leadership has “openly admitted” that they are going after them because they are religious Jews.
“If we don't commit ourselves to tolerating differences of opinion when it comes to religion, we're going to be a very ugly people,” Jeremy Dys, senior adviser at the First Liberty Institute, told DailyMail.com.
'And that ugliness simply cannot be expressed in words. Far too often it descends into some level of violence. That is why we need the strong protection of religious freedom to prevent us from sliding down the road to violence,” Dys continued.
In another case in Beverly Hills, California, Rabbi Illulian was bullied by the city for hosting prayers and other religious gatherings in his own home.
After receiving a complaint from a private citizen in his neighborhood, Beverly Hills city officials began monitoring the people and cars entering and leaving the rabbi's home.
This included his uncles, siblings, cousins and other relatives who celebrated Shabbat prayers and traditional religious holidays together.
In some cases, a neighbor laid down nails and cut the tires of the religious collectors. They have also been ticketed by the city for parking outside the rabbi's home during prayers.
Dys said Rabbi Illulian's case illustrates that when religious freedom protections are not enforced and “hecklers have veto power” over religious neighbors, it “never de-escalates, it just escalates into something worse.”
After First Liberty intervened on the rabbi's behalf, the city ultimately backed down.
Another small Jewish congregation in Houston, Texas, had their power shut off after they began repairs to their synagogue.
The city said they needed permits to do the work on their place of worship, and the lights have remained off despite the start of Hanukkah and the extreme darkness of early winter.
It was only when a lawsuit was filed in Houston District Court on behalf of the municipality that the city was finally able to allow power to be restored.
Lawyers on behalf of the synagogue say there are still concerns about people within the enforcement agency “intimidating people” into helping their clients. So the case is being closely watched to see if the city tries to turn off the power or otherwise delay the project.
The incidents in which Jewish rabbis, communities and families have been targeted in their local towns and neighbors come as there has been an increase in anti-Semitic attacks in recent months.
Last month, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League said in an appearance on MSNBC that anti-Semitism has increased by as much as 388 percent since Hamas' barbaric attack on Israel that began on October 7.
Additionally, Jewish locations in the United States reported 199 “swatting” incidents within 24 hours, a security consultancy reported on December 16 alone, highlighting the increase in hoaxes and fear-mongering rhetoric since the October 7 Hamas attack.
The Secure Community Network, which monitors anti-Semitic threats and liaises with law enforcement, said the increase in swatting – joking at emergency services in an attempt to send a large number of armed police officers to a location – and bomb threats was deeply worrying goods. .
Hoboken police stand guard outside a synagogue in their New Jersey city. One group says 199 journalists 'swatted' at Jewish facilities in one day
A member of the New York Police Department patrols outside the Bais Yaakov Nechamia Dsatmar synagogue congregation in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on October 13. The Secure Community Network, which monitors anti-Semitic threats and liaises with law enforcement, said the increase in beatings since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7
Michael Masters, the network's CEO, said it was wrong to view the bomb threats and hoax emergency calls as harmless pranks because they piled trauma on trauma and could cause actual harm.
“The alarming number of swatting incidents and hoax bomb threats being made across the country is a major concern for the safety and security of the Jewish community in North America, as well as law enforcement,” Masters said.
The staggering single-day total comes as there has been a massive 541 percent increase in similar hoaxes in 2023 compared to this time last year.