California: Elderly Jewish Man Killed in Competing Pro-Israel, Pro-Palestine Protests in LA

A 69-year-old Jewish man died on Monday (November 6) after falling and striking his head following an altercation over the weekend during competing pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Thousand Oaks, California.

The Associated Press reported that the man was identified as Paul Kessler, who participated in a pro-Israel protest on Sunday afternoon (November 5). Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department responded to reports of a battery at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, where both demonstrations were held.

The sheriff's department said no arrests were made but they are set to have a news conference on Tuesday morning (November 7).

No additional information was immediately available regarding the incident as investigations are underway.

Coroners Deem Kessler's Death as Homicide

Kessler, who was holding an Israeli flag during the incident, was reported to have been involved in a confrontation with several people holding Palestinian flags when one of them allegedly hit the old man with a megaphone, causing him to fall into the ground and hit his head.

He was still taken to hospital for treatment but has since died.

Coroners from Ventura County ruled the man's death as a homicide, with the cause of death being a blunt-force head injury.

"Witness accounts indicated that Kessler was involved in a physical altercation with counter-protestor(s)," the sheriff's department said in a statement. "During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground."

Communities React to Kessler's Death

Both sides of the issue have apparently united in grief over the incident that caused Kessler's death. Moshe Bryski, a local rabbi from Chabad of Agoura Hills, told the New York Post that Kessler's death was "just a tragedy."

"You don't expect people to go to a rally and not come home," he added.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said Kessler's suspected death at the hands of pro-Palestinian protesters was devastating for their community.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the group sent their condolences to Kessler's family.

"While we wait for more information from our law enforcement partners, we remind you that this is the fourth major antisemitic crime committed in Los Angeles this year alone," the statement wrote. "Violence against our people has no place in civilized society."

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also issued a statement calling Kessler's death a "tragic and shocking loss."

"While we strongly support the right of political debate, CAIR-LA and the Muslim community stand with the Jewish community in rejecting any and all violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or incitement of hatred," the statement said.

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Us, California, Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Hamas, Antisemitism, First amendment