Local rabbi says circumstances surrounding Los Angeles Jewish man’s death remain unclear
- November 7, 2023
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles says in a statement that 69-year-old Paul Kessler died from a blow to the head from a megaphone carried by a pro-Palestinian protester in West Lake Village. Afterwards, Rabbi He, a local, spoke. He spoke to the city's police chief, who explained that the circumstances of the incident were not yet clear. “It is not clear yet exactly what happened other than an elderly Jew was counter-protesting at a Gazan demonstration, hit the ground, and died. We DO NOT KNOW at this time if he fell, was pushed, or was attacked. Please do not spread rumors. We will know soon what happened,” writes Barclay, who is the spiritual leader at Temple Ner Simcha in West Lake Village. He later adds that police have conflicting reports of what happened and have interviewed a suspect who was identified on social media as having been at the event. However, Barclay says that police do not have video of the moments leading up to when Kessler wound up on the ground.
