An antisemitic attack on a Jewish couple is “deeply disturbing and unacceptable” but seems to be “an isolated incident,” Rabbi Gavriel Koskas of Magen David Congregation of Surfside-Bal Harbour told JNS.
“It is important to put it in perspective,” the rabbi of the Orthodox synagogue said. “This appears to have been an isolated incident involving individuals who are not Surfside residents, and it does not reflect the community we live in.”
JNS sought an incident report from the local police. According to news reports, a Jewish man, who was visiting South Florida from New York with his wife, was punched in the head and threatened on Aug. 16 at night.
Jorden Stephen Perozo, 35, allegedly approached the couple on an electric scooter, cursed at the man, his wife and others in the Jewish community and then punched the man, according to news accounts, citing the police report.
“Now you’re going to die,” Perozo allegedly told the man, per the report. “Walk away before I kill you.”
Perozo allegedly continued making antisemitic remarks and statements about Israel and “Palestine,” which the wife recorded, in part, on her phone.
Police reportedly arrested Perozo on Wednesday at Flanigan’s Bar & Grill, where he worked, and he faces a count of battery with prejudice and a count of harassing or intimidating a person based on religious or ethnic heritage.
As of Thursday, he was reportedly being held on $6,000 bond.
Rabbi Zalman Lipskar of the Shul of Bal Harbour, a Chabad synagogue, told JNS that the local police departments “work very closely with the Jewish community and are doing an amazing job ensuring the safety of all our residents.”
“We are very grateful to them for their tireless efforts to protect our community,” he said.
Koskas of Magen David Congregation told JNS that “Surfside has a very visible and vibrant Jewish population” and that “we should respond with preparedness, vigilance and confidence, not fear.”
Jewish institutions have a responsibility to take their security seriously, according to Koskas.
“At our synagogue, we have developed a comprehensive security team, both inside and outside, working alongside professional security and law enforcement,” he told JNS. “I would urge synagogues and Jewish institutions everywhere to develop similarly strong security protocols appropriate to their circumstances.”
“Simply having armed people present is not a security plan,” Koskas said. “Anyone entrusted with protecting a congregation must be properly trained, coordinated, disciplined, and know exactly how to respond in an emergency.”
Koskas said that the Jewish community in Surfside is not living in fear and praised Florida and local officers for their support.
“We are extremely fortunate that in Florida, our state and local leaders and law-enforcement agencies have consistently been vigilant, responsive and strongly supportive of the Jewish community,” he told JNS.
“Antisemitism is something we must always take seriously and condemn unequivocally,” Koskas said. “But we should respond with preparedness, vigilance and confidence, not fear. One isolated incident should not define Surfside.”
“This remains a community where Jewish families feel safe and supported,” he added.
Perozo was reportedly arrested on June 15 as well, after Miami Beach police accused him of slashing a giant inflatable FIFA World Cup soccer ball displayed in Miami Beach.
