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An Israeli man was violently attacked on Sunday by a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Santa Monica Pier, underscoring the surge of antisemitic violence gripping Los Angeles.
The victim, 24-year-old Ariel Yaakov Marciano, had recently moved from Israel to the United States. He traveled from Sacramento to Los Angeles to attend his cousin’s bar mitzvah when he encountered a crowd waving Palestinian and Mexican flags.
Marciano, wearing a Star of David necklace and speaking Hebrew with another Israeli, said the demonstrators identified them as Jews and quickly turned violent.
“They hit me from behind on the head, and I started bleeding,” Marciano told Ynet. “Others pushed me, tore the chain from my neck, and when I pushed one attacker, they all jumped on me.”
24-year-old Ariel Yaakov Marciano was at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday when he was viciously attacked by a group of 20 “Free Palestine” thugs wearing keffiyehs after they overheard him speaking Hebrew. Ariel had traveled from Sacramento to Los Angeles for his cousin’s bar… pic.twitter.com/khytemrhJZ
— Samantha Ettus (@samanthaettus) September 2, 2025
📍🇺🇸 Santa Monica · Aug 31
24-year-old Israeli Ariel Marciano was attacked for speaking Hebrew and wearing a Star of David.
He is the cousin of Guy Illouz, kidnapped from the Nova festival and murdered by Hamas.
Ariel: “I lost one cousin in this war, I am not going to hide my… pic.twitter.com/IMoiZYtO93
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 2, 2025
Violence Escalates Beyond Verbal Threats
Marciano later posted a video on Instagram showing blood streaming down his face as he urged Israelis in Los Angeles to gather at the pier in solidarity.
As he made his way toward the police station, still declaring “God bless Israel,” another assailant sprayed him with pepper spray. He also reported that one attacker brandished a knife and threatened him, saying, “You’re lucky I don’t stab you.”
Marciano worried for a fellow Israeli visiting from Las Vegas who was with his wheelchair-bound son at the time. “I don’t know what happened to them,” he said.
Police officers failed to intervene, telling Marciano the crowd was too large to control. “I can’t blame them,” he added.
Pattern of Antisemitic Assaults in Los Angeles
The assault followed another violent incident just a week earlier, when Israelis walking home from synagogue near Wilshire and Crescent Heights faced a similar attack.
One of the victims, Eyal Dahan, whose two sons serve in the Israel Defense Forces, said the group confronted him and demanded he shout “Free Palestine.” Instead, he responded, “Long live the IDF.”
Dahan said one man punched him, knocked off his kippah, and cut another victim on the hand. Police present at the scene failed to act, he said, even though the attack clearly qualified as a hate crime.
Dahan later recognized one of Marciano’s assailants as the same man who had attacked him. He claimed that demonstrators receive $150 for three hours to stage violent protests.
Personal Loss and Resilience
Marciano has endured devastating personal losses to terrorism. His cousin, Guy Illouz, was kidnapped at the Nova music festival on October 7th and later murdered in Hamas captivity. Another cousin fell in battle during the 2014 Gaza war.
Despite the brutal assault in Los Angeles, Marciano vowed to remain proud of his Jewish identity. “I lost one cousin in this war and another in Operation Protective Edge. I won’t take off my Star of David.”
Hours later, while sitting in a restaurant, Marciano received an unexpected gesture. A stranger approached him and handed back the stolen necklace. “He was a Chinese man who told me, ‘Here, this is yours,’” Marciano said. “I don’t know how he found me, but the chain came back. I will keep wearing it.”
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
