Prosecutors claim that a man who was detained in Beverly Hills over the weekend is accused of committing multiple hate crimes, including assaulting a Jewish couple while they were making their way to their synagogue to observe Shabbat.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said on Tuesday that the suspect, Jarris Jay Silagi, 44, has been charged with two felonies of “assault using force likely to produce great bodily injury,” in addition to one felony each of attempted second-degree robbery, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon.
The district attorney’s office stated that Silagi is accused of running after the couple on their way to the synagogue on Saturday, hitting the 75-year-old husband in the head with a belt and attempting to rob the woman while pointing out the husband was wearing a yarmulke.
Following his arraignment on Tuesday, prosecutors have suggested that Silagi be detained on a $1,310,000 bond. He could get a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.
“We entered a not guilty plea on his behalf following the court’s declaration of doubt regarding his competency,” Silagi’s attorney, Head Deputy Public Defender Greg McCambridge, stated. Because of that declaration, the public defender’s office will have to hold a competency hearing before the suspect can be charged.
“We acknowledge the significant public interest this issue has created, but we advise against passing judgement until all the facts are established in court,” McCambridge said.
Raphal “Raphy” Nissel, 75, was struck in the head by an object while strolling with his wife to the synagogue. He told CNN that the man approached them from behind.
“Give me your earrings, Jew,” was what his wife, Rebecca Nissel, remembered the man saying.
The idea that they might be attacked because they are Jewish, according to Raphal Nissel, “enraged” him. He claimed to have intimidated the man and wanted to tackle him in some way because he was so furious, but the man turned and fled.
According to a police news release regarding the incident, the victim had a belt-related laceration on his head when they found him. According to the police, the victim had no connection to or knowledge of Silagi.
A member of the department saw someone who fit the description of the alleged attacker leaving the scene, according to the police. Authorities claimed to have identified and apprehended Silagi using that information.
Nissel claimed that after receiving treatment on the spot, his forehead wound was stapled shut.
The attack took place close to the intersection of North Rexford Drive and North Santa Monica Boulevard, which is four blocks from the upscale shopping district Rodeo Drive and a mile away from at least three synagogues.
In a post on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom described the attack as “appalling.” “Happy to learn that the culprit is in detention.” “They need to be held fully accountable,” he continued.
The attack occurs as the Middle East conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, and advocacy groups report an increase in incidences in the US that target Jews, Arabs, and Muslims. The Anti-Defamation League reported that in the two months that followed Hamas’s raid of Israel on October 7, it received 330% more reports of antisemitic incidents than it did during the same period in the previous year.
In October, FBI Director Christopher Wray said that antisemitism in the US was at “historic levels”.
Regarding the Jewish community in America, Wray stated, “Our statistics would indicate that they account for something like 60% of all religious-based hate crimes for a group that represents only about 2.4% of the American public.”
After the attack, Nissel said he was still excited to visit the synagogue and he was determined not to skip his weekly duty of reading a Torah passage to the assembly.
“I will not concede this victory to the assailant. They won’t interfere with my life or the lives of others,” he declared.
Regarding his experience, he stated, “What matters to me is that those incidents shouldn’t happen.” “I think we all need to be a little bit more cautious, more careful, and more vigilant in this crazy world of ours.”
His wife claimed that the attack had deeply troubled her and changed her understanding of what it must be like for Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Rebecca Nissel stated, “When you watch a brutal attack like that, it has an effect on your mind,” adding that she experienced anxiety for several hours afterwards.”I was just thinking about the consequences of having so many hostages detained underground for so many weeks.. What does it mean to spend so much time in the dark and tunnels if this small incident we had to go through had such an impact on me?
“We must combat antisemitism in all of its forms,” the speaker declared.
