18 | DECEMBER 8 • 2022
A
man who drove
into the Temple
Beth El Parking
lot in Bloomfield Township
during preschool drop off
time on the morning of Friday,
Dec. 2, allegedly spewing
anti-Israel rhetoric and anti-
Jewish and racist language
toward parents, caregivers and
preschoolers as well as African
American security guards
is now in the custody of the
Oakland County Jail pending
arraignment.
In a statement released
Dec. 4, Oakland County
Prosecutor Karen
D. McDonald
charged Hassan
Yehia Chokr,
35, of Dearborn
with two counts
of ethnic
intimidation
under the
Michigan 1931 Penal Code.
Ethnic intimidation is a felony
punishable by imprisonment
for up to two years, or by a
fine up to $5K, or both. He
was arrested by Dearborn
police after an investigation
by the procesutor and police
departments.
It was comforting news at
the conclusion of an uneasy
weekend for Metro Detroit’s
Jewish community. The news
on Friday quickly spread about
the incident.
In a letter to congregants,
TBE Rabbi Mark Miller
wrote: “
A man drove through
the parking lot and verbally
harassed several of our ECC
families, using language
connected to Israel. He also
yelled the ‘N-word’ at one
of our staff members. We
implemented our security
protocols immediately, and
the police arrived within
minutes — they are currently
evaluating the individual
involved. And per our
protocols, security at Temple
has been increased and will
remain that way beyond the
weekend.
“Everyone at Temple is fine,
and we are confident that our
facility remains secure thanks
to the professionalism and
dedication of our security
team, led by Morris Collins.
In addition, we have been
working throughout the day
with Bloomfield Township
P.D., the Federation’s security
apparatus, the ADL and a
private security firm.”
After the incident, a
troubling video on Instagram
surfaced of Chokr filming
himself before and after the
incident accompanied by
the surfacing of a menacing
video the man posted on
his Instagram page, where it
seemed he got a light-handed
treatment from Bloomfield
Township Police and was
initially released. The man’s
Instagram account at press
time was still up, filled with
many hateful rants wishing
to commit violence against
Jews, and he has hundreds of
followers.
TBE Rabbi
Miller said he
was thankful that
Friday’s assault
was verbal rather
than physically
violent — but
it was also
terrifying.
“It is remarkable how much
havoc one detestable person
can cause,” Miller said. “Our
entire community is on edge.
We will remain vigilant. We
have increased our already
strong security presence in
response to this incident. We
will not let this sort of evil
individual prevent us from
pursuing a positive and joyful
approach to Judaism at Temple
Beth El.”
Responding to the arrest of
Chokr, officials at the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit in a statement on
Facebook expressed gratitude
to law enforcement, security
and investigative officials
who have been working and
coordinating efforts since
Friday morning.
“We are extremely grateful
that a felony warrant for
the individual was issued
for these heinous actions
and that he is now in police
custody,” read the statement.
“We thank the Bloomfield
Township Police, the County
Prosecutor’s Office and all
the law enforcement entities
that have been working on
this for their diligence and
commitment to the security of
our community.”
Federation leaders will
remain in close contact with
local authorities and ask the
community to remain vigilant.
Incidents can be reported
first to local law enforcement
agencies and then to JCSI at
https://jcsdetroit.org.
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP
POLICE RESPONSE
Bloomfield Township Police
released a statement on
Sunday in response to a great
Ethnic
Intimidation
OUR COMMUNITY
Man accused of hurling antisemitic
and racist epithets in Temple Beth El’s
parking lot is in police custody.
Karen D.
McDonald
TBE Rabbi
Mark Miller
STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Hassan Yehia Chokr, 35, is accused of hurling antisemitic and racist
language toward people in the Temple Beth El parking lot on Friday
morning, Dec. 2.
STOPANTISEMITISM.ORG