By Joshua Levitt, algemeiner.com
A rabbi extracted an apology from anti-Semites on bikes who verbally assaulted him as he was walking to shul in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Rabbi Michy Rav-Noy wrote on Facebook that the lesson was, “Jews! Stand up for yourselves!”
The “main point” of his story, the rabbi said, was “showing them we won’t put up with it and having them apologize.”
At 9:15am, the rabbi was walking to synagogue when two men on bicycles screamed, “There goes a Jew! Look at that Jew!”
Rabbi Rav-Noy said, “I yelled right back at them, ‘Come here now and say it to my face!'”
As they rode away, he yelled at them, “Don’t ride away like sissies!”
But, the rabbi said, “G-d put me at the right place at the right time. A police car drove by. I let out a loud whistle and yelled, ‘I need the police!” A lady officer pulled over. I told her what happened and stressed ‘NOT IN THE U.S.’ – please go after them.”
Moments later, three blocks away, the two men were being held by two policemen against a wall, with their hands being held behind their backs.
“The lady cop apologized to me and said, ‘I can’t do much more; they didn’t officially commit a crime… but (with a half smile on her face) the good news is that one of them has a warrant and is going to jail today.”
“I told her, ‘You punished them by stopping them and making them stand like this. You gave them a message that they are accountable.'”
“‘They need to apologize,’ I said. She agreed.”
“We both walked over and I told them to apologize. I told them, ‘We suffered for 2,000 years; we shouldn’t have to go through this in the U.S.’ They apologized again.”
Rav-Noy directs the Los Angeles chapter of the Friendship Circle, a Jewish charity that run programs for children with special needs.
Amazing! Well done rabbi!
“and we were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and this is what we looked like in their eyes” .
Sound familiar? (the meraglim for those who may have gone blank for a moment ).Anti-semites will never LIKE us but they can be taught RESPECT or at least fear. Main response has to be education and PR
I think you handled it very nicely
You obviously have I assess the situation. If the guys look dangerous, maybe better not to get into it with them. But if they are just some lowlife bored teenagers, why not show them who’s boss? I bet they got the shock of their lives! People think Jews are small and incompetent. There’s nothing wrong with showing them otherwise. It could prevent future harm to other Jews.
you don’t just die for the fact that they say “Jew” I agree with 8 and 20 seriously, why endanger yourself over nothing!
I have stood up to haters many times, and they always respect you more if you stand up for yourself. Most of the time they’re so shocked to see a little Jew open his mouth, they can’t do anything but stare!
It seems that some posters don’t understand what it means to show Jewish pride. If someone insults, you can ignore or say something witty back – even make a fool out of them by giving a big smile with a thumbs up – and they’ll like stop doing it. Calling the police and engaging in overkill which they feel is overkill has the opposite effect and Hashem should make sure that there are no negative results for anyone for this having been handled the way it was.
If it was me,I would channel my inner Three Stooges soul,and those dirtbags would be chewing on their handlebars. Nyack,Nyack!-D.Benveniste Ha Levy
We get this lam the time – and whilst I was not present at this incident and don’t want to comment on the aggression – I agree with #8 – it depends on your mindset – if they shout “Jew” without any adjectives then I don’t see it as anything other than a lunatic being aggressive – yes well spotted mate I am Jewish and proud and you are very observant! Stop thinking like a victim. I also agree that confronting these aggressive people is not always a good idea unless you are able to look after yourself. Whilst in… Read more »
I absolutely love this story. It makes those 2 ppl feel so stupid…”what did u say!? You’re gonna have to apologize…in hand-cuffs!!” Go Michy and all those Jews who’ve got some guts, and show them ppl out there that we don’t take no garbage from anyone!!!!
(to all those concerned about making this a standard reaction to every little thing, and to teach our kids to do this etc…obviously u need to have some tact and common sense to kinda read where the persons intentions are coming from, if he’s dangerous etc…which knowing Michy he’s got plenty of it)
your rong a jew shall fight and if he goes down at least he went down like a jew
BS”D to 14 you have to be kidding to compare trained armed security forces to a defenseless Yid against in many cases an armed provocateur This is not judging it is common sense.
What concerns me is the Yobs ” that what they are” will try again and again to insult with words until they get a result .(physical is a different matter) they want you to answer them back, look at number 3 he took a glass bottle to them all because they screamed words to him. Who knows what could have been the end result. Ignore them they want attention
I applaud the Rabbi for what he did. He could of received a beating then may not have been so bold in the future. If you aregoing to talk like that be prepared to brawl perhaps to the death. In the end i believe all Jews should behave as boldly as the Rabbi did but all Jews should also be able to fight and backit up. Training to fight is as essential as standing up to antisemites. Cant have one without the other.
If someone starts with you, you have to defend yourself. Number three and the a Rabbi are not foolish so don’t judge, it’s somthing one has to do at the moment it happens.
Jews get attacked because we are known to be peaceful, would you tell the security forces to not fight back, you have to sometimes take your chances, this is how we have to live. Doing judge, I can’t understand how harsh jewish people are to each other, but yet, gave no guts outside.
Better ignore them. Not worth putting your life at risk! If you are attacked ch’v, definitely fight back. If you are going to get into a fight every time an antisemite says something, you better have good life insurance. They are much better than us in fighting, especially with the possibility of them having a knife or gun. What would you have done if they would have come out of the car? Especially that one of them was a criminal.
How is it his responsibility? Is it the next president responsibility too to change bigots.
to#6 What the NBA owner said about black Jews was disgusting.
BS”D
the rabbi and number 3’s husband were lucky and foolish in my estimation. It could have turned out differently chas v sholam. This is not something one should encourage others, especially children to do. The forced apology did not change their attitude. If you understand the criminal mind you will not change them by the methods spoken about here. Possibly education from a young age will help. I would urge others to keep on walking
It’s the presidents responsibility.
Is this kind of reaction really going to help stop anti-Semitism, or ch”v the opposite. It sounds like too harsh which is always counterproductive.
“There goes a Jew! Look at that Jew!”, I’d be proud if someone yelled that at me, because I’m proud to be and look like a Jew!
At the same token that this incident ended up well for the Rabbi, one of the anti Semites or both could have carried a knife or a firearm and if they were challenged by him enough they may have used it! I know I’m bringing on a scenario tht is highly unlikely (or is it?) My point is you can be right but dead! Or smart but alive to tell the story B’H in this case something good came out of it or so we hope The one with the arrest warrant will be back on the streets in no… Read more »
Don’t make an issue when there is none! The clippers owner was a public figure…
the more we answer the more aggressive they become and later on they will try again to show who is boss remember they are bigots and Jew haters we should just ignore and if they come back then fight but to go and call them back there needs to be something missing
Did you cast blame on him when he wasn’t president?
I just read this, rabbi, I’m so proud of you, Hashem helped you and the policewoman was a Mentch. Thank Gd they didn’t use a gun. You are brave and applause you. My husband was verbally attacked in England by two Muslims in a car, screaming and shouting at him, he screamed back at them and told them, ‘I’ll get you first’ they came back at him, by this time, he had found a broken bottle and ran at their car, they drove away, shocked. We called the police and they too were shocked at what my husband had done.… Read more »
Jews must learn to stand up for themselves and not allow anti-semitism to go unanswered!
why doesn’t OBama say something like he did a few days ago when a man told his girlfriend not to bring black people to the sport games. why isn’t this in the news??