After being attacked and beaten with a belt in Beverly Hills Saturday by a man spouting antisemitic comments, Raphy Nissel, who was on his way to synagogue with his wife when the assault happened, is speaking out.
According to a media release from the Beverly Hills Police Department, officers responded to the area of North Rexford Drive and North Santa Monica Boulevard just after 9 a.m. on calls of an assault with a deadly weapon.
“We’re Orthodox Jews and so we do not use the car on Shabbat, on Saturday, we walk,” Raphy told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff.
As the couple made their way to synagogue, they were confronted by a man wielding a belt, who police later identified as 44-year-old L.A. resident Jarris Jay Silagi.
“He held it in his hand,” Rebecca Nissel, Raphy’s wife, said. “He hit my husband over the head, and he yelled, ‘Give me your earrings, Jew.’”
For his part, Raphy said at the start of the attack he didn’t know what the man was hitting him with.
“I didn’t realize what it was, but it was very heavy, very hard and very painful,” he explained. “But I didn’t fall down. I just was perplexed at what was going on.”
The couple chased the 44-year-old and called police, who were ultimately able to apprehend Silagi.
According to Raphy, his assailant most likely noticed his religious garb and targeted him because he’s Jewish.
“I immediately connected the dots together and understand,” he said. “I’m wearing a kippah and a white shirt, which Jews wear on Saturday. He knows I’m Jewish and wants to hit me because I’m Jewish.”
Alan Tzvika Nissel, Raphy’s son, posted to X, formerly Twitter, about the attack on his 75-year-old father and his 70-year-old mother and attached a photograph of Raphy’s bloodied kippah.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, there has been more than a 350% increase in antisemitic incidents since the bloody attack by Hamas on Israeli soil on Oct. 7.
L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón on Sunday released a statement on social media condemning antisemitic graffiti sprayed along walls and sidewalks in Westwood over the week, saying the incident “is yet another harmful causing fear and anger for so many in our community, myself included.”
Local and state and leaders voiced their outrage over Sunday’s attack in Beverly Hills.
“The individual responsible for this vile act is in custody and must be held fully accountable to the law,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said on X. “The city of Los Angeles will continue to work with our partners throughout the region to actively combat antisemitism.”
“This is appalling. Antisemitism has no place in this state,” Govenor Gavin Newsom also said on X. “Glad to hear that the person responsible for this is in custody. They must be held to full account.”
As for the 75-year-old himself, he said he’s speaking out in hopes of educating people on the dangers of antisemitism.
“I’d like the media and the world to educate people, to be sure that antisemitism is not just a bad word, but it has a connotation that can bring violence and something you don’t want to know,” Raphy said.
After he was treated for lacerations to his head sustained during the attack, Raphy made his way back to synagogue where he read aloud from the Torah in a moment of strength and perseverance in the face of intolerance.
“He has amazing willpower, which raged that he could do it and he did it,” Rebecca said.
“I don’t want a guy like that to change my life, to change other people’s life, to hit me,” Raphy said. “I don’t want to give another victory.”
Authorities with the Beverly Hills Police Department confirmed that the 44-year-old made antisemitic statements to the victim during the attack. Silagi is being held on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery, elder abuse and a hate crime. He is due to appear in court on Tuesday.
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