From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Outrage from Jewish advocacy groups after anti-Israel NYC subway protester gets ‘slap on wrist’
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
Jewish advocacy groups have expressed outrage after a man who boarded a New York City subway train last summer and demanded that “Zionists” identify themselves and get off the train was sentenced to just four hours of community service at a Jewish organization and ordered to attend an anti-bias course.
“There are no words to describe our disgust with this pathetic slap on the wrist,” the StopAntisemitism advocacy group says on X.
In June, Anas Saleh, 24, led protesters in a packed New York subway car in chanting, “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist.” A video of the incident drew widespread condemnation from public officials, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Saleh was arrested and charged with coercion and attempted coercion. However, these charges, which could have landed Saleh a year in prison, had been dismissed previously by a judge because of “facial insufficiency,” according to the New York Post.
Following the sentencing, Community Security Initiative, which protects Jewish communities and institutions around New York City, calls on the city to strengthen its laws about hate speech.
“We are deeply concerned that New York’s current hate crime laws do not classify Mr. Saleh’s actions as a hate crime,” the organization says in a statement. “We view with concern the penalty of community service.”
Anti-Zionism is a modern manifestation of antisemitism.
Example:
An Anti-Zionist declaring on a NYC subway car: “Raise your hands if you’re a Zionist. This is your chance to get out.”Anyone threatening to purge “Zionists” (i.e. most Jews) from public places is an… pic.twitter.com/e3Wh6Ztp32
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) June 12, 2024
NY congressman Ritchie Torres says the weak sentence will encourage similar acts.
“If you attempt to purge Jews from public places like subways, then the worst you can fear in NY is community service,” Torres writes on X. “The State of New York is sending a dangerous message that emboldens antisemitism.”
