The elderly Jewish man who died during a confrontation with a pro-Palestinian protester was mourned this week as a “symbol” of strength amid growing anti-Semitic hatred.
Paul Kessler had been protecting his long-held belief that Jewish people have the right to live and prosper without harassment or fear on a suburban Los Angeles corner that fateful Sunday when he fell to the ground and hit his head, according to his longtime rabbi. .
“Like most Jews, he loves Israel and believes Jews should be allowed to live in Israel,” Rabbi Ari Averbach of Thousand Oaks Temple Etz Chaim told the Los Angeles Times as questions persist about his death.
The 69-year-old father of two had shown up to the pro-Israel counterprotest with an Israeli flag in hand after a neighbor asked him to stand in front of a pro-Palestinian demonstration that had gathered at an intersection. close.
Investigators said Kessler had gotten into an altercation with a pro-Palestinian protester when he fell, but witnesses claim the unidentified individual had “stalked” the elderly man before hitting him in the head with a microphone.
He died at an area hospital several hours later, and investigators ruled the manner of death a homicide due to blunt force head trauma consistent with a fall, although the medical determination does not indicate foul play.
Paul Kessler died after falling and hitting his head during a confrontation with a pro-Palestinian protester.AP
Kessler also suffered injuries that “could be consistent” with a blow to the face, but it is unclear what caused his fall, the Ventura County medical examiner said.
His death – and the lack of resolution in the case – has only intensified concerns among members of the local Jewish community that Kessler may have been targeted because of his support for Israel.
“It’s become a symbol of something bigger; that wasn’t its intention,” Averbach said. “He wasn’t looking for trouble.”
Despite growing fear, some religious leaders are warning their members not to rush to judgment and instead trust local authorities.
Kessler’s death has been ruled a homicide, although the medical determination does not indicate a crime was committed. ABC7
Averbach said he did not want the Jewish people to retaliate and only increase the growing division stemming from the crisis between Israel and Hamas.
“The world is watching this moment: what was a small interaction with neighbors is now a global crisis,” he told the outlet. “I hope it doesn’t continue or get worse. … I hope that anyone at any demonstration can feel safe.”
“Our community is really shocked right now,” he added. “We’re trying to figure out how to continue living here…Being with us and crying with us, that reminded me that this can, or should, be a safe place.”
The synagogue held a small, private vigil in memory of Kessler on Wednesday, as community members carpeted the street corner where he suffered his fatal fall with flowers and candles.
Unknown people to the old man carpeted the corner of the street where he suffered his fatal fall with flowers and candles.Getty Images
“I didn’t want people to think this guy didn’t matter,” a local synagogue member, who requested anonymity, told the outlet.
Another local said Kessler’s death brings the war, which has claimed approximately 1,300 Israeli lives and more than 11,000 Palestinians, closer to home.
“When missiles and bombs happen in Israel and Gaza, you feel it to some extent, but you really feel it when we’re two miles away and someone, whether it was an accident or whether they were pushed or hit, we don’t know. I don’t know, but it wouldn’t have happened if there hadn’t been this conflict,” said Chuck Conway, who lives near the suburban town where Kessler fell.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that it was “working around the clock to track leads, examine electronic data and corroborate witness statements.”
A person places flowers at a makeshift memorial at the site of an altercation. Getty Images
Investigators have asked for video and photographic evidence of the incident, particularly if it captures the alleged assault that took place, adding that many witness statements conflict with each other.
“There are photographs and videos before and after the incident,” the statement said.
“We currently do not have any recordings of the actual incident, which would be of great help in this case and would certainly show or even disprove criminal guilt.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn