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

