Standing up to antisemitic mobs shouldn’t land you in prison
"Rape their daughters!" "We are Nazis and proud!" "F--- the Jews!"
These are antisemitic chants made by anti-Israel protesters in Australia, England and France, where there have recently been deadly attacks against Jews. But that’s not America, right?
Those were the words shouted in New Jersey on Nov. 13, 2024, outside an Israeli real estate event held at Congregation Ohr Torah, minutes before Altaf Sharif allegedly charged David Silberberg — who attempted to use pepper spray to fend off an attack — and slammed the Jewish man to the ground, placing him in a firm chokehold.
ANTISEMITISM: FACE IT. FIGHT IT. FINISH IT
For those following the exploits of the pro-Palestinian mobs, Sharif’s actions were entirely predictable.
When 53-year-old West Orange resident Moshe Glick saw Silberberg’s legs buckle, he rushed into action, taking his small flashlight, which he happened to have with him that night.
While aiming at his back, the rapid movement of people caused Glick to inadvertently hit Sharif’s head, causing minor cuts.
Sharif initially refused medical attention and reportedly told officers he was fine.
Dozens of keffiyeh-clad terrorist sympathizers gathered near Ohr Torah that night, hurling Jew-hating epithets and asking the Jews assembled that evening, "How many babies did you kill today?"
Several demonstrators, including Sharif, began blowing vuvuzelas, an instrument the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) considered a weapon in this instance, since it is "reasonably known to lead to permanent noise-induced hearing loss."
FAITH, FREEDOM AND THE FIGHT AGAINST RISING ANTISEMITISM
Just ask Moshe Glick, who had the horn-shaped device blown inches from his ear.
Glick was simply trying to exercise his right to be near the entrance of this synagogue without fear of harassment, when he saw someone fighting for his life and made the decision to intervene.
Sharif, as well as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group that critics have accused of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, recognized the ease with which the narrative from that evening could be rewritten.
A competing narrative soon took hold, and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office decided to pursue charges against not the instigator, Sharif, but Dr. Glick, who was told that he could be sentenced to between five and 10 years in prison if found guilty.
Glick found the idea of taking a plea deal, which would rule out jail time and likely wipe his record clean, "contrary to the facts, the law, fundamental justice, and the need to stand up for what is right."
In his words, this case "is not my battle alone" but rather a fight for Judeo-Christian civil rights.
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Thankfully, the Trump administration views this case through the same morally sound lens and believes prosecutors in New Jersey are targeting the wrong individual.
In a historic first, the DOJ announced in September that it would be pursuing civil charges against six of the demonstrators, including Sharif, and two pro-Palestinian groups.
The DOJ affirms that this cohort violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a 1994 law whose original intent was to protect those entering abortion clinics. The case involving Moshe Glick is the first time the FACE Act has been applied to protect a house of worship.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon has stated that the DOJ would not rule out criminal charges.
Synagogues remain the new venue where Islamist extremists advance their violent objectives. Cloning this strategy, activists descended on Park East Synagogue in November to disrupt a similar real estate event, with one protester repeatedly admitting, "We need to make them scared."
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Last month, at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, far-left protesters unleashed a torrent of coordinated anti-police and anti-Israel messaging at those gathering for a community security forum.
The actions taken by the federal government involving the Glick case suggest that this DOJ is not falling for the left’s demented and dangerous game. These hatefests are largely happening in blue states, where Democratic politicians and their judicial picks retain reflexive sympathies for people like Sharif and are repelled by Jews like Glick.
Strong Jews make liberals squeamish.
The DOJ recognizes that the FACE Act is in place for precisely this moment and is putting the blame exactly where it should be — on the shoulders of antisemitic disruptors.
The outcome in Glick’s case will determine whether Islamists who plant themselves outside a synagogue think twice before acting out their violent obsession.
This case isn’t only about Moshe Glick. It’s just a matter of time before radical activists embracing jihadist rhetoric center their ire on churches.
"First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people!"
We don’t want this chanted outside our churches and Sunday schools next.
The Moshe Glick case is about the ability of all freedom-loving Americans to worship in peace, without placing their lives in the hands of jihadis, their collaborators and liberal officials who ignore the law.