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    • Chicago’s Jewish community shames mayor after anti-Semitic attack
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    Chicago’s Jewish community shames mayor after anti-Semitic attack

    Online Niel Posted on

    Days after the shooting of a Jewish man in Chicago’s West Rogers Park, critics slammed the mayor for his lack of support and understanding. the Jewish community.

    “No one has heard from him or anyone in his administration, which is shameful,” David Goldenberg, regional director, Anti-Defamation League Midwest, said during a news conference Tuesday morning.

    “I’ve said it over and over since then October 7. We need our mayor to step up, to do more, to recognize what’s happening here in Chicago,” said Yossi Held, executive director, Midwest Region, Stand With Us.

    By the end of the day, the town hall posted a statement on the X/Twitter social media platform:

    “On behalf of Chicago, our sincere thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his loved ones from this weekend’s shooting incident in Rogers Park. This tragic event should never have happened, and we recognize the dedication of our first responders who put their lives on the line during this shooting. The City is in close communication with the Chicago Police Department as the investigation continues. All Chicagoans deserve to feel safe and protected in the city. There is more work to be done and we are committed to diligently improving community safety in every neighborhood.”

    Speakers left to right: David Goldenberg, Shlomo Soroka, Rabbi Levi Mostofsky (credit: JULIE MANGURTEN WEINBERG)

    The Jewish Community Relations Council of Chicago quickly responded, also on X:

    “You failed to identify that the victim was a Jewish man in a densely populated Jewish neighborhood going to synagogue for Shabbat morning prayers. Why will you have to recognize the Jewish community?”

    In contrast to Mayor Johnson’s comments, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) posted a statement at noon via X showing deep compassion for the Jewish people:

    “This attack on a Jewish man in Chicago during the Jewish holidays is unacceptable. Anti-Semitism is on the rise in America and we must remain focused on eliminating it. I stand with the Jewish community in Chicago and across the country.”

    This dialogue comes days after Sidi Mohammad Abdallahi, 22, of Chicago, allegedly shot a 39-year-old man in the shoulder as he walked to synagogue on Saturday morning.

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    “(The victim is) a friend. He will be fine by a miracle, but he has a long way to go,” said Shlomo Soroka, director of government affairs for Agudath Israel in Illinois, who suggested the outcome could have been worse.

    “Every week he goes to the synagogue, he takes his girls with him, his little girls. This weekend, he decided to go alone. Can you imagine if those little girls were with him?” Soroka asked.

    Abdallahi is also accused of opening fire on police and paramedics who responded. The police shot and hit the suspect, who remains hospitalized. He faces six counts of attempted first degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery. He failed to appear in court Tuesday for a detention hearing, and the judge ordered him held until he can do so.

    Goldenberg labeled the initial charges “a good start,” and while he expressed his appreciation to the Chicago Police Department and other law enforcement agencies for their work in the case, he insisted on a thorough investigation and additional charges as appropriate. .

    Since the incident, members of the Jewish community have called on prosecutors to file hate crime charges. According to Goldenberg, they have up to 30 days to update the charges.

    He asked community members to be patient and considerate.

    “I urge our own community, regardless of the anger, fear, exhaustion and exasperation that we all feel, myself included, not to use this incident as an excuse to spread hatred towards others,” he said. “Engaging in bad speeches will not improve the situation. It may feel good, but it will only pour gasoline on a fire that is already burning.”

    Meanwhile, fear in the community is significant.

    “As a community, we are afraid,” said Rabbi Levi Mostofsky, executive director of the Chicago Rabbinical Council. “When a visibly Jewish individual, in an otherwise peaceful neighborhood, is shot unprovoked on his way to synagogue, we are horrified.”

    Just last month, Federal Bureau of Investigation published data showing hate crimes against Jews in the US increased by 63% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Although Jews make up only two percent of the US population, the report showed that anti-Jewish hate crimes accounted for 15 percent of all hate crimes.

    As a result, Goldenberg explained, the Jewish community has drastically increased security, creating a new experience for its youngest members.

    “Our children will not enter a synagogue for a Shabbat service or a religious holiday without being met by armed security guards. This is the Jewish experience in America today,” he said.



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