A Jewish family of four was subjected to foul-mouthed harassment at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey on New Year's Day, according to video of the incident shared by a watchdog group.
The Jewish couple and their children, aged 12 and 16, were the target of shouting insults by two pro-Palestinian supporters at the shopping center in East Rutherford, the video showed.
Stop Anti-Semitismthe watchdog group that shared the video said the abuse was caused by the 16-year-old daughter's sweatshirt, which showed support for the Israeli military.
“Free Palestine, f***ing that b***h,” a young woman can be heard shouting at the family in the video, as the Jewish father extends his arm to separate the aggressors from his wife and children.
The full circumstances of the incident are not clear from the video clip, or from a second short clip, which the watchdog group says shows the robbers knocking the Jewish mother's phone out of her hand.
A Jewish family of four was subjected to foul-mouthed harassment at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey, according to video of the incident shared by a watchdog group
A representative for American Dream Mall did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com on Tuesday morning. East Rutherford police referred questions to the New Jersey State Police, who could not immediately be reached for comment.
StopAntisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'Incidents like these contribute to a violent atmosphere that has pushed anti-Semitic hate crimes to new heights. They must be universally condemned if we are ever to return to public discourse that does not target or threaten Jews.”
Rez attributed the incident to the “Free Palestine” movement, which she said has “created so much hatred and division in America that a Jewish family cannot walk through a mall without being accosted.”
The video of the incident posted on X shows the confrontation already underway, with a young man and woman shouting at the family.
“Leave her alone, leave her alone!” you hear the Jewish father say as he steps between the Palestinian supporters and his family.
The Jewish mother, who appears to be filming the incident, is heard saying: “You're attacking me, you attacked me and you dropped my phone!”
The female aggressor responds, “You're recording me without my consent! It's free Palestine, die damn it, die b***h! Free Palestine that damn b***h! Liberate Palestine, you should be ashamed of supporting genocide!'
The Jewish father is seen driving his family away from the insulting rant and shouting back, “What genocide?”
“Leave her alone, leave her alone,” the father is heard saying. “Leave this shit alone.”
The Jewish mother shouts: 'You are cursing my child! You're cursing my child!'
“I curse you,” says the male bully. “I curse you and your damn husband.”
“Free Palestine, f***ing that b***h,” a young woman can be heard shouting at the family in the video
The female harasser goes on to say that she is also a minor. The confrontation culminates in a shouting match that is difficult to hear clearly, as the Jewish mother questions whether the perpetrators have ever been to the Palestinian territories.
'Palestine doesn't exist, it's a made-up lie!' the Jewish mother is heard screaming before the music video ends.
The disturbing incident is the latest example of escalating tensions in the US since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking hundreds of others hostage.
Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion of Gaza, killing at least 22,000 people, according to the enclave's Hamas-led health ministry.
Israeli airstrikes have reduced much of the territory to rubble and engulfed its 2.3 million inhabitants in a humanitarian crisis, leaving many thousands displaced and threatened by famine due to a lack of food supplies.
In the US, the Justice Department has said it is monitoring growing threats against Jews and Muslims in the United States due to rising levels of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia related to the war in the Middle East.
In early December, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the threat level was so high he saw “flashing lights everywhere.”