California Man Arrested After Attacking a Jewish Man in front of the Synagogue

A man from San Diego County was arrested after he assaulted a Jewish man in front of a synagogue located in Pico-Robertson, Los Angeles. The synagogue was hosting an event to promote real estate purchases in Israel. The event, however, is protested by several pro-Palestinian groups.

The accused has been charged by federal grand jury with an indictment.

The defendant, who has been arrested and charged with one count of hate crime by the federal grand jury, has been identified as a 28-year-old man named Zaid Gitesatani.

The assistant attorney general, Harmeet K. Dhilon, of the Justice Department’s civil rights division said, “The defendant’s conduct, if proven, is a serious violation of the law. Every American deserves to live without fear of violence based on who they are or how they worship. The Justice Department is committed to vigorously prosecuting such crimes of hate and violence.”

According to the indictment, a real estate agency known as “My Home is Israel” advertised an event scheduled for June 23rd, 2024, at the Adas Torah Synagogue in Los Angeles, in the Pico Robertson neighborhood. The event was to promote real estate sales in Israel.

Several pro-Palestinian groups then planned and advertised a protest for the same event. One of these groups advertised a protest to “stand against settler expansion.” Gitesatani travelled to Los Angeles to attend this protest.

On the afternoon of the real estate event and protest, a Jewish man identified in the indictment as “Victim A” was walking his dog near the Adas Toah Synagogue when Gitesatani approached him from behind and punched him in the jaw. The punch resulted in pain, redness, and swelling. After the assaulting victim, Gitesatani, walked away and retreated into the crowd.

On the same day as the assault, Gitesatani posted a screenshot of the video showing him assaulting the victim on his personal Instagram account, along with a caption, “Whooped the Zios today we took their flag.” The post also had two images of himself displaying his bruised knuckles following the assault.

In the two days following his assault on Victim A, Gitesatani had an exchange via Instagram with another user regarding the June 2024 incident, regarding the assault. Gitesatani wrote, “I whopped two zions,” “whooped,” “I swung good on them,” “It was satisfying,” and “hand it…numb from punching him so hard.”

Gitesatani also posted on Instagram a still image of his assault on Victim A with the caption, “The Chosen People sometimes need a good smack to wake up.”

If Gitesatani is convicted of the charges, he will face the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A US District Court Judge would determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other information. The incident is currently under investigation by the FBI.