Jewish man dies after ‘physical altercation’ amid dueling California protests over Israel-Hamas war

A Jewish man in California died after what police described as a “physical altercation” during protests over the Israel-Hamas war in Thousand Oaks, near Los Angeles, on Monday.

Paul Kessler, 69, died of a head injury after he reportedly fell backward and hit his head while interacting with pro-Palestine protesters.

Police had not arrested a suspect as of late Monday and had not determined if the death was a hate crime, The Associated Press reported. The death has been ruled a homicide.

Rabbi Michael Barclay of Temple Ner Simcha in Westlake Village, near Thousand Oaks, urged people to avoid jumping to conclusions about what happened.

“As of right now, there are multiple conflicting witness reports, and no video of what happened before Paul hit the ground,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “These are good men, and please have faith they will see justice.”

Barclay said police had spoken to a suspect but had not reached a determination as to what happened between Kessler and protesters. He added that police are being cautious before making accusations.

“We need to do the same; and not let this become a spark that starts an inferno,” the rabbi wrote.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called Kessler’s death a “tragic and shocking loss” in a statement late Monday.

“While we strongly support the right of political debate, CAIR-LA and the Muslim community stand with the Jewish community in rejecting any and all violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or incitement of hatred,” the statement said, according to the AP.

Protests both for and against Israel’s actions in the war against Hamas have raged since the conflict began early last month.

On Saturday, tens of thousands took to the streets in Washington, D.C., to march in favor of a cease-fire in the war.

The conflict began Oct. 7, after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. The initial strike killed more than 1,000 civilians.

Subsequent Israeli strikes and ground attacks on Gaza have since killed more than 10,000 people, including more than 4,000 children, according to a Monday update from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.