A South Florida man is in excruciating pain after a brutal attack sent him to the hospital on Monday evening.
Dovid Hazan’s triplets visited him in the hospital and had no idea what had really happened to their father. Perhaps the harsh reality underlying his hospital stay is too much for innocence to grasp. The reality though is their father has swelling of the brain and bruises all over his face. “I have no clue, I never saw them, I have no idea who they are, I had no words exchanged with them. They saw me and they came out of the blue,” said Hazan.
Hazan is an observant Jew who was viciously beaten Monday night as he was walking back from the beach just off 87th Street and Collins Avenue. “No place is safe for Jews. I’m sorry to say it. No place is safe. People that hate Jews will find all kinds of excuses to hate us. Whether it’s going to be the economy, whether it’s going to be anything, they always find excuses why to hate us. We’re going to be target of any type of problem,” said Hazan.
Hazan was wearing his Yarmulka at the time of the attack. He is a middle school teacher at a Jewish day school on the beach. Hazan came to live in Bal Harbor from Israel four years ago with his wife and triplets.
“They screamed and said many things but, all I wanted to do was cover my face. I was with my Yarmulka,” said Hazan, “It’s funny because I tend to go with my Yarmulka everywhere I’m going. We worked in Russia and walked in very dangerous places and nothing happened. We worked in Mexico and I did the same, but it’s funny that right here in America it’s happened.”
Hazan’s family don’t feel safe doing normal family outings around town after the attack. “I just want to feel safe in our neighborhood. That we’ll be able to go to the beach. All of us should be very aware, just be more careful,” said Shrifa Hazan, the victim’s wife.
“My brain is swollen so I can’t come move my head,” said Hazan describing the seriousness of his injuries.
This attack has some area rabbis concerned. “We have to in one hand not be afraid to be Jewish and to show that we are Jewish as we thank God are in a religiously free country, but on the other hand at the same time, we have to know that we have enemies who want to hurt us, who want to bring us down and we have to take the necessary precautions,” said rabbi Aryeh Citron.
Hazan said the attackers didn’t take his wallet. They just got him on the ground and kicked him in the face time and time again. They were screaming he said. He couldn’t get the exact words that became lost in a haze of boots to the face.
Hazan’s children think their dad just hurt his head. For now, all that is there is their handmade gift and a kiss for dad.
Miami Beach Police said they will investigate this case thoroughly if Hazan files a supplemental police report.
(Source: WSVN)
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19 Responses
Refuah Shelayma. This is terrible and happening all too often.
refua shlaima. time to come to eretz yisroel.
“Miami Beach Police said they will investigate this case thoroughly if Hazan files a supplemental police report.” If he files a supplemental report….that in itself is an outrage. Why are they not now out aggresively looking for the animals that did this???
Can someone please explain to me why Mr. Hazan needs to file a supplemental police report in order to get this case investigated thoroughly? If a police report has been filed, they should investigate!
Let’s pray it does not come to New York City.
name to daven for?
amichai, whatever your intent, I believe your suggestion is an emotional knee-jerk reaction and is, therefore, incorrect.
Personally, I feel it is also insulting to all Jews who are grateful for that which America has done for them, as America has, B”H, been very kind to Jews (and immigrants, in general), whereas the Zionists are not.
Zionists have been saying like you for a long time now, and, to show how incorrect they are, have heaped much trouble and sorrow on our people. Gaza and Amonah and Madrid/Oslo “peace” tragedies, for starters, are uniquely Israeli. DeJudaizing its Jews was and is also uniquely Zionist.
Our galus is, sadly, applicable both in chutz laAretz and Eretz Yisrael.
The obvious solution is, of course, the geulah shileimah – may we all merit to see the coming of Moshiach – bimehirah biyameinu, Amein.
Has anyone notices that the Jews of Florida are being attacked both financially and physically lately?
Florida has been considered a Gan Eden for Jews, especially welthier Jews. Now, these violent attacks, in North Miami Beach, in Bal Harbor, and elsewhere, have forced Florida’s complacent Jews to reevaluate their situation.
Perhaps, we are being sent a message that it’s time to prepare to leave our comfortable Golus.
the signs are getting more and more pronounced. anyone with their eyes and ears open can notice it. when obama won, everyone talked about getting their passports, now its time to buy tickets
#8 and 9
Jews are known to be rachmanim. If all you can get out of this story is to give people mussar you better check out your background…
This story is very sad and should take us ALL out of our complacency but everyone should think for themselves.
#8, deepthinker, I think you’re concentrating too much on Florida.
To me, the recent brutal attacks in Lakewood are every bit as startling and horrifying. When one is already in the Ir Miklat of Toirah va’avoidah, to where does one flee?
Eretz Yisroel might not be the correct answer, as HaKatan #7 points out, with the Zionists attacking on the intellectual front, and the Arabs on the physical front.
I’m no judge, nor do I have any more clue to what’s doing in Shamayim that anyone else, but I would like to suggest that just maybe HaShem is trying to tell us that frum Jews must do t’shuvah sh’laimah, stop our aveirois, and improve our Toirah u’tfilah, and the non-frum will see our improved avoidas HaShem and do t’shuvah on their own. After that, it’s up to HaShem.
#’s 7,8,9,11 We aren’t supposed to feel “comfortable” in chutz laaretz or anywhere in golus for that matter even Eretz Yisrael. We are also absolutely required to recognize this. Unfortunately many of us aren’t zocheh to wait out the golus in Eretz Yisrael. This too is critical to recognize, that ideally we should live in Artzeinu Ha’Kadosh even in golus. This doesn’t mean that if someone can’t for a good reason that they should feel guilty for not living there.
It is an assumption — perhaps unfounded — that Mr. Hazan was attacked because he is Jewish. He says that he doesn’t know what they said to him, so we don’t know if they made any anti-semitic taunts. What happened to him, though, is very similar to some attacks on individuals in the Washington, D.C., area where small gangs of teenagers have beaten to death individuals walking alone at night without taking money. The goal is to beat up someone. A colleague of mine was killed this way. A few days later, a woman was similarly beaten. She survived and said that one guy held back her arms so that the others could hit her. They, too, said nothing specific to her. I’m not convinced that juveniles that would do this are necessarily aware about what a yarmulke means.
#3, #4
You are correct in saying this is an outrage, that Miami police need to investigate this as a crime without the victim having to file a supplemental report. Once a crime is committed and police are called, it then becomes a crime against the state which authorities are bound to investigate. Dectectives should have been all over this case once the police were called in and the victim was hospitalized. As I see i, two crimes were committed in this instance: Aggravated Assault and Aggravated Battery, not to mention violation of the hate crime laws. I am retired law enforcement and the idea that one would have to file a ‘supplemental’ police report to get this kind of crime investigated turns my stomach. B’H, the perps will be caught and they will be punished.
its hard to believe that they dont know what a yarmulke is in mb, where there are probably more jews than non-jews in the winter
Hey #5 flatbushbubby,
So as long as it doesnt come to New York, its all good?
Lets pray “al kol tzoro shelo tovoi” just so it doesnt affect flatbush. Achdus at its best!
The obvious solution is, of course, the geulah shileimah – may we all merit to see the coming of Moshiach – bimehirah biyameinu, Amein.
Are we in agreement that when Moshiach arrives, we will then be on our way to the ‘Land Of Israel’?
to# 18 What, and all of us who own beautiful mansions in boro Park and flatbush,will just move out and give up our beautiful and comfortable living here,and just pick up and move to israel? yea right! keep dreaming. Like the song in the old Petticoat Junction tv shows goes,when zsa zsa Gabor sings”honey ilove you,but give me Park ave”
to #5 what makes you think it didn’t come to NY yet? Noone was ever assaulted in NY you think?