Jewish man attacked in Washington by attacker shouting about Israel-Gaza war

According to court records, James, a Texas native, pleaded not guilty in the case and was released Saturday, four days before authorities say he attacked Golfeyz. James is charged with assault for Wednesday’s incident. An arrest warrant was issued for James during a hearing in Washington, D.C., Supreme Court on Friday. His attorney, Gregg D. Baron, declined to comment.

Golfeyz suffered numerous cuts to his face and severe facial swelling. He also says he still suffers from severe jaw pain, which prevents him from chewing properly.

“I felt very vulnerable,” Golfeyz said Friday. “I no longer feel safe walking around DC with my Jewish religious items.”

This attack appears to be the latest incident of violence and hatred against Jewish and Palestinian Americans across the country, as the war between Israel and Gaza has led to an increase in threats against Muslims, Arabs and Jews, leaving many people fearing for their safety.

Brian Levin, former director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, who continues to closely track hate crime data, said this type of response to a war thousands of miles away is unfortunately typical in the United States. In the past, he said, conflicts in the Middle East involving Israel have led to anti-Jewish hatred, and he has observed a rise in hatred against Muslims after terrorist attacks such as that of Sept. 11, 2001, and during military conflicts overseas.

In Washington, D.C., there have been nine anti-Jewish, three anti-Israel, two anti-Palestinian and one anti-Muslim hate crimes this year through May 31, according to data Levin compiled for a forthcoming report for the Crime and Justice Research Alliance.

“It’s an extraordinarily bad, historically bad moment,” Levin said. “When the flames of hate are burning so intensely, these are incredibly risky times for even worse attacks on a larger scale.”

Golfeyz said he was attacked by James around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday as he walked from his home in Foggy Bottom to his job as a cybersecurity manager near McPherson Square.

After walking through a park near George Washington University Hospital, Golfeyz said he saw James’ fist out of the corner of his right eye. Then he heard what he described as the sound of his jaw cracking.

He fell into a weed bed and fought back while being repeatedly beaten before a hospital police SWAT team intervened.

According to an affidavit, Golfeyz later told police that after hitting him five or six times, James told him, “You are not a real Jew, and you are murderers. You are killing people in Gaza and in America.” A witness reported seeing James attack Golfeyz.

While the special constable separated James from Golfeyz and waited for the DC police to arrive, James launched into an anti-Semitic tirade against Golfeyz, accusing him of controlling land, money and the government and blaming him for the “murder” of men, women and children in Gaza, as seen in videos recorded by Golfeyz.

It is frightening to hear this kind of rhetoric, Golfezy said, because it seems to be directed against him for no other reason than the fact that he is Jewish.

“It has turned into a very hateful time very quickly. I have never experienced anything like it in my life,” he said. “I feel like we have reached a point where it is no longer about Israel, but also about the Jewish people.”

Golfeyz was raised Orthodox by his parents, who were born in Iran and fled religious persecution in 1979. The family settled in Baltimore, where Golfeyz was raised to study Torah, celebrate religious holidays and pray three times a day – practices he maintained into adulthood. He observes Shabbat every Friday with family or friends. He wears a kippah every day.

He became involved in the district’s Orthodox Jewish community, joining a synagogue and befriending the other Jewish men he prays with. He is in a Sephardic minyan group chat, which refers to the Orthodox Jewish custom of praying in a group of at least 10 men – called a minyan – every morning, afternoon and evening.

He is a member of a softball team called Matzah Balls, organized by Volo Sports, a recreational sports league. And he wears a kippah every day.

But after Wednesday’s incident, he was no longer sure how safe it was to openly admit that he was Jewish.

A few hours later, while in the emergency room for his injuries, he sent a message to his minyan group chat with some advice about a Washington, D.C. neighborhood he never thought he’d have to give: “I would recommend not wearing a kippah or any other Jewish jewelry in that area anymore.”