*UPDATED 1:30 pm PDT* Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) Calls on Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti to Bolster LAPD and Pursue Prosecutions Against Palestinians Who Attacked Jewish Diners

Against the backdrop of a spate of violent attacks, hate crimes, and intimidation by backers of Hamas from Berlin to Toronto, the Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced a violent attack against Jewishdiners by Palestinian thugs in Los Angeles last night.

“The SWC was informed of the incident almost immediately and reached out to Los Angeles Police Department officials and Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz,” said RabbiAbraham Cooper, SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action.

“Los Angeles is the 2nd city for almost every national and ethnic group in the world. That means wherever there is a flashpoint around the world someone here feels it intensely. Thatis doubly true about the Gaza War for both Jews and Palestinians. With social media lit up with anti-Israel and blatant Jew-hatred 24/7, there is reason to be concerned. We have seen whathas happened in Toronto, Montreal, UK, France, and Germany; the anti-Semitic chants, the violence, even the targeting of Jewish institutions. We need local leaders everywhere to step up anddefend against any violence and also to establish lines of communication with other community leaders.

“No one in Williamsburg (NY), Golders Green (London), or Los Angeles started this conflict and no one has the power to impact on events in the Holy Land, but that hasn’t stopped the hatethreats and violence from proliferating in too many places. We need our elected officials, law enforcement, and the media to give these concerns serious attention,” Rabbi Cooperconcluded.

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agenciesincluding the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).