Jewish man punched, given black eye in Brooklyn for wearing IDF shirt
Two Jewish men, one of whom was wearing an IDF sweatshirt, were attacked in Brooklyn on Sunday, the New York Post reported.
Blake Zavadsky and Ilan Kaganovich were in a shoe shop in the city when two attackers accosted them.
“They asked us what we were doing in their neighborhood,” Zavadsky told the Post.
Zavadsky was the one wearing the sweatshirt, and he said that one of the attackers punched him, telling him that if he didn’t take it off, he would “rock him.” When he refused, he got punched again and doused in iced coffee. The two attackers also reportedly threatened Kaganovich that if he got involved they would hurt him too
Zavadsky told the Post that the man who punched him asked him how he can support “these dirty Jews.”
“I cannot believe this happened,” Kaganovich told the Post. “We should be able to wear whatever we want to wear.
“Blake and I are Jewish – we should support Israel without it being a problem. My family moved from the Soviet Union for this reason – to be able to live a better life.”
Zavadsky told the Post that he intends on continuing to wear his sweatshirt in public.
Read More: The Jerusalem Post