Violence erupts as protesters block LA synagogue
Chief correspondent Jonathan Hunt reports the latest from Los Angeles.
Hollywood’s Jewish residents are mobilizing in response to the "horrifying" anti-Israel protest at a nearby Los Angeles synagogue.
Violence broke out in front of the Adas Torah synagogue in the 9000 block of Pico Boulevard on Sunday as anti-Israel agitators clashed with supporters of Israel during a protest. While California leaders condemned the violence, Jewish members of the entertainment industry believed that it wasn't enough to keep them safe.
"I was horrified to watch the events unfold across industry chat groups and only a short drive from where I live," "Pulp Fiction" producer Lawrence Bender told Variety.
He continued, "As a Jew, I have always felt safe and part of a large, protected community here in Los Angeles, especially Hollywood. Clearly things changed dramatically between Saturday and Sunday. Not only do local police and government have to completely change their policy to help but we need to mobilize quickly to protect ourselves."
Jewish Hollywood residents voiced their concerns about how to protect themselves after the violent anti-Israel protest on Sunday. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images | Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)
VIOLENCE BREAKS OUT AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS SURROUND LA SYNAGOGUE, CLASH WITH ISRAEL SUPPORTERS
Others in the article shared Bender’s sentiment, including WME agent Robert Newman, who called the protest "unspeakably horrifying and frightening."
"This is like Charlottesville every day. And from their actions, it’s clear that these violent anti-Israel mobs feel even more emboldened and justified to threaten and attack Jews anytime and anywhere, at schools, restaurants, subways, hospitals, Holocaust museums, synagogues, in their neighborhoods and homes," Newman said.
Some also condemned the lack of response from local police, with only one reported arrest from the protest, though investigations are ongoing. While insiders reported plans for the Anti-Defamation League to hold a briefing with the LAPD on the entertainment community’s concerns, other Jewish residents believe they are on their own.
"There’s a lot of talk over the past 12–15 hours about self-arming and doing our own neighborhood watch groups and having our own self-funded groups," one "well-connected industry figure" told Variety. "This industry has now been mobilized because we are so unified and we’re such a powerful voting block."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department to confirm whether actions are being taken to address concerns. (Getty Images )
Director Jonathan Jakubowicz suggested that he may even leave Los Angeles after moving to the city to escape antisemitism in Venezuela.
"The Jewish community has been doing a good job protecting itself, but the level of violence keeps growing, and I don’t know how much longer we can go on our own without the help of the authorities," Jakubowicz said.
In the meantime, "Tulsa King" consulting producer William Schmidt called for more Jewish community members to stop being "passive" and start speaking out against the violence, according to the trade publication.
"I am discouraged and disgraced by the silence to these events by Jewish entertainment professionals — powerful and wealthy showrunners for instance," Schmidt said. "We are a powerful, wealthy group — and we have done nothing — getting the guilds to allow us to have Jewish affinity groups. Big deal."
Police in riot gear at the scene of an altercation outside a Los Angeles synagogue. (Getty Images)
In a comment to Fox News Digital, LAPD Captain Kelly Muniz said, "Yesterday, Chief [Dominic] Choi, and other leaders throughout the State of California met to hear concerns and develop solutions with the Jewish Community in the Pico-Robertson area."
"The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to meet with stakeholders in the Jewish Community to enhance our relationship in a time where many in this community do not feel safe. Public safety for all is a top priority for the Los Angeles Police Department," Muniz said.
The violence on Sunday comes more than eight months since the Oct. 7 terror attack against Israel, in which Hamas and other Palestinians killed 1,200 people and took hundreds more hostage.
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Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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