Rally held for Paul Kessler, man who died after altercation in dueling Israel-Palestine protests
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On the same corner in Thousand Oaks where Paul Kessler died, a rally was held in the man’s honor with demonstrators singing the Israeli national anthem and chanting for Kessler.
Kessler, a man of Jewish faith, died after being hit by a megaphone and falling to the ground.
"Paul Kessler was murdered because of a simple act of carrying an Israeli flag," said Emily Sehati during Sunday’s rally.
Kessler's friend, Jonathan Oswaks, stood by him as Kessler fell to the ground at this intersection.
Prior to the Thousand Oaks rallies, Oswaks was in Washington D.C. when hundreds of thousands of people of Jewish faith marched in the nation’s capital.
He wore a tallit – or a prayer shawl – as he marched. He watched as others put on tefillin, small black boxes with torah portions that go on one’s forehead.
"I just have a new sense of religion and a new sense of purpose for the Jewish people," Oswaks said.
While some have gained a renewed sense of faith, there has also been a lingering sense of fear.
When Sehati was asked if she felt fear, the teen responded, "I wish that I could say that I didn’t."
Oswaks was in a Ventura County courtroom when the suspect, Loay Alnaji, was arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury.
Some at the rally felt he should be charged with a hate crime.
Seventy-one-year-old Danny Sharon, who has family in Israel, said he’s received threats over the Star of David he wears around his neck.
He recalls being told such things as, "We need to kill you all. You're not belonging here."
"It's really easy for college students to lose hope. There is so much hatred. There is so much anger. There is so much animosity," said Harvard Law student Sarah Mehrnia, who was in Southern California for the holidays..
Since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, reports of anti-semitic hate has escalated to 400%, according to the anti-defamation league. Many I talked with also said they experienced hate.