first on fox — An assault suit has been filed against a prominent rabbi in the Washington, D.C., area anti israel protesters, Who reportedly damaged his ears by playing “bullhorns, sirens and loudspeakers” in an attempt to suppress his prayers.
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld alleges that he “suffered acute acoustic shock and other harm” when he was confronted by anti-Israel protesters while he was praying in front of the Israeli embassy on March 22.
“When we went there to pray, we were overwhelmed by the presence of pro-Palestine protesters, pro-Hamas protesters, who not only wanted to share their voices, but they also wanted to make sure that our voices were not heard , Herzfeld, who says he is receiving medical treatment, told fox news digital,
“As a rabbi and as a Jew I have an obligation to hold these people accountable, to take them before a judge and say, ‘What they’re doing is not right, it’s not right that they’re trying to stop me. It’s not right for them to hurt me when I want to pray in peace,” Herzfeld added. “I hope that as a result of this lawsuit, we will not only “We’ll be able to get relief from what they did to me, but we’ll also be able to get a lot more information about who these people are, who they’re working with, who’s supporting them.”
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Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld alleges that he “suffered acute acoustic shock and other harm” when he was confronted by protesters while he was praying in front of the Israeli embassy on March 22. (Herzfeld)
Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C., which provides further details of the alleged encounter. The rabbi is facing allegations of assault, battery and other violations including hatred based on religious identity.
“That attack was intended to, and did, injure Rabbi Herzfeld. The physical attack included the use of speakers, sirens, and other sound emitting devices to produce a siren-like sound in the range of 95-100 decibels – 1,000 times that “The noise level was higher than what is permitted under D.C. law—with the purpose and intention of injuring Rabbi Herzfeld,” the complaint said.
The encounter occurred on T’anit Esther, a day of religious observance just before the Jewish holiday of Purim. According to the complaint, Herzfeld and his group were attempting to pray for the release of Israeli soldiers and “innocent residents of Gaza” held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since the October 7 terrorist attack, when they were surrounded by counter-insurgents. . -Israeli protesters wearing earplugs or sound-canceling headphones.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag at Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld as he tries to pray in front of the Israeli embassy on March 22. (Herzfeld)
The complaint states, “Defendants possessed sound-producing devices – speakers and bullhorns – that emitted extremely loud noises that, upon information and belief, were intended to deter any speech or other support for Israel.” ”
“When defendants observed that their noise-making devices were not preventing Rabbi Herzfeld from leading his group in prayer, defendants and their followers greatly increased the volume of the siren-like sound produced by bullhorns, sirens, and loudspeakers. Raised to a higher level than is permitted by District of Columbia law,” the complaint continues. “The defendants specifically targeted Rabbi Herzfeld, and their aim was to suppress his prayers, cause physical injury to him, and force him to leave the site.”
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Partial video of the encounter seen by Fox News Digital shows a man taunting Herzfeld, waving a Palestinian flag in his face as he tries to pray, while loud noises can be heard. According to the complaint, the sound level had reached 95-100 dB range.
“Hearing damage can be expected from sounds as low as 80-85 dB. Sounds in the 100 dB range can result in hearing loss after only 15 minutes of exposure. Because the dB scale is logarithmic, sound An increase of 10 dB is equivalent to a 10 times increase in sound intensity. Thus, a 100 dB sound is 10 times louder than a 90 dB sound, and 100 times louder than an 80 dB sound. Is.”
The complaint continued, “At the time of the attack, Rabbi Herzfeld immediately felt intense pain in his ear. Upon returning home, Rabbi Herzfeld continued to feel the pain.” “He consulted an otolaryngologist, who diagnosed acute acoustic shock and prescribed medication.”
Herzfeld has written five books, made countless media appearances and even delivered the commencement prayer as guest chaplain in the U.S. House of Representatives. “He was unable to fully participate in the celebration of the Jewish festival of Purim on March 23–24 and in other religious and personal activities during the days following the events of March 22,” according to the complaint, adding that he “felt discomfort.” Be” in his ears.
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Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld. (Herzfeld)
The defendants, Hazami Barmada and Atafeh Rokhvand, are both residents of Virginia. According to the complaint, Bermada was referred to as “The Leader” and “Rokhvand” as “The Governor” among protesters in front of the Israeli Embassy.
Bermuda and Rokhvand denied Herzfeld’s claims.
“The allegations made by Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld are factually incorrect, and an abuse of our court system to attack and silence constitutionally protected First Amendment activity. We are activists peacefully protesting and calling out atrocities in Gaza. “We are demanding an end to the ongoing crackdown that has taken the lives of more than 42,000 Palestinian civilians, of whom 15,000 are children and 10,000 are women,” he told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“Among the false and dishonest allegations made by Rabbi Herzfeld, he failed to disclose that he came to our protest site on March 21, 2024, and instigated hostile contact with a group of activists who were engaged in an ongoing peaceful are part of the protest, because on February 26, 2024, during a very short period of time at the Israel Embassy, Rabbi Hazfeld and additional agitators from his group repeatedly walked among our peaceful and lawful protesters (who mostly remained seated and did not move) and Screamed obscene words. Attacks like ‘terrorist,’ ‘Nazi b—h,’ ‘go home Nazis,’ ‘go open a concentration camp,’ ‘evil’ etc.,” he continued. “Unfortunately, this is not the only day Rabbi Herzfeld harassed us. A few days after filing his legal suit, Rabbi Herzfeld again harassed our peaceful protesters while driving, rolling down his window and saying ‘ Why do you support the rape of innocent women’ — which is a ridiculous and appalling thing for anyone, let alone a leader of any community, to say.”
He said, “The lawsuit seems like a politically motivated press release” designed to attract attention “and tarnish the reputation of respected human rights activist and organizer, Hazmi Barmada.”
“This is not only an abuse of process, but it is an attempt to chill our constitutional rights, extort and silence activism that does not match Rabbi Herzaffel’s personal views. It also violates the District of Columbia Anti-SLAPP Act. But that’s for the lawyers out there to figure out,” the statement continued.
“Unfortunately, Rabbi Herzfeld is demonstrating a common tactic used by Israel’s supporters to suppress the voices of anti-war, pro-human rights, and justice activists who peacefully stop targeting innocent children and civilians in Gaza. As for my co-defendant, Atefeh Rokhvand, it appears that Rabbi Herzfeld’s legal team arbitrarily chose to silence yet another victim. The rabbi was not present during the visit on the date of the allegations presented,” the statement said. “We are in the process of securing legal counsel, they will review the lawsuit and the evidence we have, and Rabbi Herzfeld and Will give appropriate response to any other person involved in this aspect.”
Herzfeld declined to comment on the statement.
Herzfeld, who is seeking a trial by jury, hopes the discovery process will uncover who is funding the anti-Israel protests that have erupted across the country and There was a stir on college campuses,
“There’s money invested in these protests. They’re not just people who wake up one day and say, ‘Oh, let me come to the Israeli embassy and stop a rabbi and his friends from praying,'” said Herzfeld.
“These are people who have a plan. They have a tent. They have a strategy. And it’s not OK to just say, ‘Okay, it’s no big deal,'” he added. “It’s a big deal. Anytime you stop someone from praying and cause them pain because they’re Jewish, that’s not OK.”
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Fox News Digital’s Hannah Panarek and Christopher White contributed to this report.
