A brick bearing the words “Free Palestine” has been thrown through the window of a kosher grocer in Boston in what owners have dubbed an “attack on the Jewish community” in the city.
Staff at The Butcherie in Brookline, Massachusetts arrived at the store on Sunday to find the front window had been shattered by the projectile.
A photo shared by local police showed that the brick had been painted black before the slogan was daubed on it in blood red.
The attack has been condemned as an act of antisemitism, particularly as it targeted one of the Boston area’s only kosher grocery stores located in a “heavily Jewish suburb”, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Posting images of the damage caused by the brick to social media, The Butcherie said: “Let us be clear – this was not a statement of protest, it was an attack on the Jewish community.
"This was not about policy or politics. It was an act meant to threaten, to isolate, and to target us for who we are.
"We are disturbed and we are saddened, but we are not shaken. We will not be silenced or intimidated,
"The Jewish people have endured far worse and have always stood tall, with dignity and unity. We will continue to serve our community proudly and without fear.”
Local police chief Jennifer Paster confirmed that the attack is currently under investigation as a suspected hate crime, revealing that initial inquiries indicated that two masked assailants had approached the store in the early hours of the morning and launched the brick at the shopfront.
She added: “This was not simply an act of property damage, and it is not plainly vandalism.
"This was a targeted, hateful message meant to intimidate a Jewish-owned business and our broader Jewish community Brookline is a place of inclusion, dignity, and respect.
"Let me be clear: There is no room for antisemitism, hate, or political violence here in Brookline.”
This latest incident comes at a time of heightened concern among the American Jewish community following a pair of high-profile terror attacks with allegedly antisemitic motivations.
Last month, two Israeli embassy staff – named as young couple Yaron Lichinsky and Sarah Milgrim – were shot dead in Washington DC as they left an event at the city’s Jewish museum.
Key suspect Elias Rodriguez was recorded shouting “free, free Palestine” as he was arrested after allegedly opening fire on the pair, reportedly emptying his magazine at a wounded Milgrim as she attempted to crawl to safety.
Just a couple of weeks later, a march in Boulder, Colorado advocating for the return of Israeli hostage held by Hamas saw multiple severe injuries after an attacker hurled homemade Molotov cocktails into the crowd.
Mohamed Soliman, the man alleged to have carried out the attack, reportedly said that the attack was “vengeance for his people” and motivated by a desire to “kill all Zionists”.
