The Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether to provide $1 million in security services to synagogues, community centers and schools.
The motion comes in the wake of violent clashes between Palestinian and Israeli supporters outside a synagogue in the Pico Robertson neighborhood on June 23. Pro-Palestinian supporters gathered outside the Adas Torah synagogue and attempted to block the entrance, where they were met by pro-Israel demonstrators.
Both sides rallied to make their case, but as large groups moved through the streets of the area, things escalated with people kicking and punching each other.
LAPD officers formed a line in riot gear and at one point declared an unlawful assembly, but the unrest continued for hours.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, one arrest was made during the incident and no major injuries were reported, although protesters were seen treating wounds.
President Joe Biden, Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass responded to the day’s unrest.
“I am appalled by the scenes outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles,” Biden said. Newsom called the violent clashes “appalling” and Bass said they were “abhorrent.”
“There is no excuse for targeting houses of worship. This type of anti-Semitic hatred has no place in California,” Governor Newsom said.
The motion proposed Tuesday would allocate $400,000 to the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles for the community.
$350,000 for a contract with Magen Am for security initiatives and community patrols, and $250,000 for the Jewish Community Foundation to provide grants to nonprofits that support safety efforts in the city’s Jewish community.
The motion has sparked controversy, with those who disagree arguing it favours the Jewish community.
Grassroots group Ground Game LA released a letter from its Jewish members to city council members “with the full support of our members,” saying the motion was “blatantly anti-Palestinian” because it “features the safety of Jewish people as the only concern raised at the protests.” The group called the proposed allocation of $1 million a “misallocation of public funds” and demanded that it be rescinded or rejected.
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