(VINnews/Sandy Eller) – Two Jewish teenagers walking in a well populated and heavily Jewish neighborhood are grateful to be alive after being attacked in broad daylight by a group of Palestinian men.
Mitchel Schwartz said that his son and his nephew were accosted on 18th Avenue and Ocean Parkway towards the end of Shabbos.
A pack of at least six men reportedly told the two teens to say “free Palestine” and other anti-Israel statements before they started punching them, with several more armed with baseball bats joining the attack.
A passing Uber driver saw the attack and told the teens to get into his car, getting them safely away from the mob.
“He told them to jump in, literally like they were in Beirut or Gaza and not 18th Avenue and Ocean Parkway, the heart of the Jewish community,” Schwartz told VIN News.
Former assemblyman Dov Hikind credited the Muslim Uber driver with saving the teens’ lives, coming just two days after a 29 year old Jewish man was beaten in Midtown by Palestinian demonstrators who also lobbed fireworks at Jewish targets in the Diamond District.
“Things are out of control,” said Hikind. “There is such hatred emanating from this community – where is their leadership? Where are the responsible people? The Jewish community needs to wake up and figure out how to protect itself. It can’t just be the police – we need to protect ourselves, period.”
