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Boston police probes possible ‘bias incident’ after driver allegedly directs anti-Israel expletive at Jews going to synagogue

“With the Jewish holidays coming up, people are always going to be on edge,” Sgt. Det. John Boyle of the Boston Police Department told JNS. “I don’t want people to be in fear.”

Police car lights. Credit: Pixabay.
Police car lights. Credit: Pixabay.

The Boston Police Department told JNS that a driver who accelerated into a crosswalk and allegedly shouted at two Jews walking to synagogue on Aug. 14, a Friday night, did not intend to “drive at somebody.”

“They may have driven through the crosswalk when someone was in the crosswalk, which is a crosswalk violation,” Sgt. Det. John Boyle told JNS.

Boyle added that police are still investigating for “bias indicators.” The driver reportedly accelerated while driving toward the Jewish couple.

“With the Jewish holidays coming up, people are always going to be on edge,” he said. “I don’t want people to be in fear.”

The incident occurred shortly after 7:20 p.m. on Aug. 14, as a husband and wife crossed at Washington Street and Euston Road on their way to Congregation Kadimah-Toras Moshe, an Orthodox synagogue in Brighton, Mass.

The driver allegedly shouted, “F**k Israel!”

Surveillance footage showed what appeared to be a green metallic Audi A-series sedan with distinctive stickers on its rear bumper, according to an incident report. The driver was listed as an unidentified male.

The couple declined medical evaluations at the scene, and synagogue staff provided investigators with still images from surveillance footage.

Jessica Russak-Hoffman is a reporter for JNS in Seattle.
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