The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today strongly condemned the recent apparent antisemitic incident targeting a Jewish family in San Bernardino.
SEE: Jewish family in Southern California targeted in possible Hanukkah hate crime
Three suspects reportedly stopped their vehicle outside the family’s home, which was decorated for Hanukkah, and yelled “Free Palestine” at two of the residents who were outside. The family also reported that one of the suspects pointed what they said appeared to be a gun at them during the incident.
After the two residents left the area, a video taken from the family’s home security camera shows the suspects returning and firing several rounds of what law enforcement believes to be an Airsoft gun.
The Redlands Police Department is currently investigating the incident as a hate crime.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“We are horrified by the recent cowardly incident targeting a Jewish family observing Hanukkah in their own home. This is not an isolated act; it is part of a broader and deeply alarming increase in hate, including antisemitism, across the country. The Jewish community deserves to feel safe, especially in their own homes, and this is a blatant violation of that right to safety. We commend the Redlands Police Department for investigating the incident as a hate crime and urge full accountability for the perpetrators.
“We are also disgusted by the suspects’ attempt to use the Palestinian struggle for liberation to justify such actions. There is absolutely no moral or political justification for targeting a family simply because of their Jewish identity. Calls for justice and human rights must never be twisted to excuse hate or violence.”
Yesterday, CAIR’s national office joined Australian Muslims in denouncing a deadly attack on the Jewish community in that nation and commended a Muslim “hero” for acting to disarm one of the attackers.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681 (ext. 1).
If you or someone you know is the target of hate, contact CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights department at (714) 776-1177 (ext. 2) or click here to submit an intake form.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Senior Communications Coordinator Madi Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com