Hate-spewing men attack Jewish family in Bal Harbour
BAL HARBOUR, Fla. – A family from New Jersey was recently
the victim of a group of menacing men who allegedly engaged in a relentless
anti-Semitic attack in Bal Harbour.
Eric Orgen said he, his wife, and his 16-year-old daughter
had just left a synagogue in the area and were walking on the sidewalk near the
intersection of Collins Avenue and Harbour Way.
Four men who appeared to be in their 20s shouted and threw
garbage at them from a white sports utility vehicle. Their rant focused on the
Israel-Hamas conflict: “Free Palestine!” “[Expletive] the Jews!” “Die Jew!”
“They yelled they were going to rape my wife and rape my
daughter,” Orgen said.
A driver who witnessed the attack decided to defend them. He
was armed with a gun and when the men drove away he chased them, Orgen said.
They reported the incident to local law enforcement. Orgen
said his daughter is back home safe in New Jersey, but she is still a bit shocked
and confused.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released a statement
after hearing about the Orgen family’s traumatic experience.
Levine Cava was also outraged about Joseph Bounds, 33, of
Colorado, who drove a van with Nazi symbols and slurs, including “Hitler was
right,” in front of pro-Israel demonstrators in Miami.
“As a member of the Jewish community and the first Jewish
mayor of Miami-Dade, acts of antisemitism in our county cut especially close to
home,” Levine Cava said.
Officers arrested Bounds, but Miami-Dade prosecutors dropped
the case against him. Detectives said Bounds is a member of a California-based
group of anti-Semitic provocateurs who travel around the country.
Bal Harbour Police Department detectives are working with
other local police departments in an effort to find the men who attacked the
Orgen family. Bal Harbour Mayor Gabriel Groisman wrote he was confident they
were going to track down the perpetrators.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to call Bal
Harbour police officers at 305-866-5000 or Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at
305-471-8477.
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