Miami Beach man charged after slapping, spitting on Jewish teacher

A suspect in Miami Beach faces hate crime charges after allegedly making an antisemitic remark to a Jewish day school teacher, then slapping her, spitting in her face, and stealing her cellphone.

According to local media reports, the teacher was walking toward the Lehrman Community Day School yesterday around 7:40 a.m. when 33-year-old Slemons Graves approached her, made an antisemitic slur, and slapped her in the back of the head, police say. He then grabbed her cellphone and smashed it, shattering the device.

The victim ran to the school, where a coworker called the police. Officers arrested Graves around 11 a.m. after spotting him nearby. He later confessed and was charged with strong-arm robbery and battery. The two had never interacted before, the victim notes.

“It’s important to note that the victim was wearing a Star of David on her necklace, and that’s how we believe the offender labeled her in the Jewish community,” a police spokesperson says. “This attack is not something that we tolerate.”

The attack comes in an environment of soaring antisemitism throughout the US since Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023.