A Squirrel Hill resident was hospitalized with broken bones after being attacked in what the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh says is one of recent antisemitic attacks against the Jewish community.
The attacks have prompted the federation to warn its members to “be vigilant” but to continue going about their daily activities.
So far during the month of June, four members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood have been assaulted and subjected to antisemitic slurs after leaving Sunday evening services.
“We have seen over the past month or so a rise in antisemitism that was largely spurred by the conflict between Israel and Hamas,” said Shawn Brokos, the director of Jewish community security for the federation.
“We have seen it across the nation; we’ve seen it globally, and up until two weeks ago we hadn’t seen it impact us in Pittsburgh.”
On June 6, three members of the Jewish community were walking home from a synagogue in Squirrel Hill when someone yelled out antisemitic slurs.
The speech used toward the three, Ms. Brokos said, was “clearly antisemitic and hateful.”
A week later, on June 13, one man was assaulted while walking home from another synagogue in Squirrel Hill. The victim was thrown to the ground during the assault, Ms. Brokos said.
He had broken bones and was taken to the hospital and later had to undergo hip replacement surgery, according to Ms. Brokos.
Police are investigating whether it was a hate crime.
The assailants in both attacks were men, but it is unclear if it was the same person, Ms. Brokos said.
The organization’s security team is advising people to “immediately report any incidents to 911 and then to the federation.”
“What may seem possibly insignificant might be a larger part of a very important piece of a puzzle,” Ms. Brokos said. “I think with increased reporting it helps investigators and also the community at large.”
Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said the police and the Jewish community are “always in constant communication with each other.
“Police advise the public if they are assaulted to notify them and file a report,” he added.
Members can report any incident to the federation through an incident report form on its website. All reports are tracked within the federation and shared with the FBI and the Anti-Defamation League to monitor any potential trends or increases in violence.
The Pittsburgh federation is among the many Jewish groups and political leaders who have been sounding the alarm about a rise in verbal, physical and online attacks against the Jewish community in multiple countries as they warn the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza is fueling antisemitism.
Over the past few months, antisemitic attacks have been reported globally, as far as Germany, and in the United States in Los Angeles, New York and as close as Cleveland, Ms. Brokos said.
She noted that a list of safety tips was sent out to community members that encouraged people to be “situationally aware” and to have conversations with children and teens about violence and how to report suspicious behavior and other threats.
“Instead of people living in fear, I encourage them to go about their daily business but just be aware of their surroundings and rely on one another for safety and security,” Ms. Brokos said. “If we stop going to service, or walking to synagogue or amending our daily routines, then fear has won, and we can’t let that happen to us here in Pittsburgh.”
Squirrel Hill was the site of America’s worst antisemitic attack on the morning of Oct. 27, 2018, when a gunman killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue. Several others were injured.
First Published: June 22, 2021, 9:02 p.m.
Updated: June 22, 2021, 9:13 p.m.
