An Israeli university student studying in Florida described how many of his Jewish and Israeli family members and friends in the United States “felt scared to go out into the world” in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Jordan Neuman, a freshman at Lynn University in Boca Raton, described to IJR how the aftermath of Hamas firing thousands of rockets into Israel and killing more than 250 people at a music festival near the Gaza border on Oct. 7 has affected his family and friends in the U.S.
“A lot of my Israeli and Jewish friends in the USA were crying for days,” Neuman told IJR. “And now they feel scared to go out into the world and say that, ‘I’m Jewish and I’m proud of it,’ for being a Zionist, for believing that we could have the only Jewish state in this world and that we exist.”
Three people were arrested on Florida Atlantic University's campus following a march to show support for Palestine that was met with counter protests. https://t.co/seLMG7iqSl
— St. Augustine Record (@staugrecord) October 13, 2023
Neuman, who is studying aviation, told IJR how he has taken part in “many Israeli protests” that have taken place at Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
On Oct. 11, Neuman and a group of several others decided to join in on the pro-Palestine march, which took place on FAU’s campus.
“We heard that there was going to be a peaceful Palestinian protest,” Neuman said, adding that they decided to go to FAU “to promote Israel positively.”
Neuman claimed that his group was blamed for the killing of “innocent Palestinians” and told that “Hamas is not a terrorist organization.”
“It went on for two hours,” Neuman said. “Then it ended with a lot of fighting, three people getting arrested with charges.”
One 19-year-old FAU student from Jordan was arrested on a felony battery charge after she elbowed a pro-Israeli woman. Two other protesters were taken into police custody and faced charges relating to battery, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, a FAU police report says, according to The Palm Beach Post.
The protest on FAU’s campus reportedly faced counter-protests and an emotional scene in which a person was tackled to the ground by the campus police, according to the outlet.
Twenty law enforcement officers and state troopers were reportedly on the scene as the protest began at FAU’s Atlantic Dining Hall, according to the FAU newspaper. Around 1:30 p.m., tensions among people began to erupt when the pro-Israeli group clashed with the pro-Palestinian group leading to a physical altercation and the arrests.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel, roughly 1,400 have been reported dead, including 30 Americans in Israel.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Force (IDF) said that the Israeli military has notified the families of 199 hostages that their loved ones are among the hostages held in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel. Many of the hostages in Gaza include children and the elderly.
At least 2,750 Palestinians are reported to be dead as a result of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Gaza’s health ministry revealed on Monday, according to Reuters.
