Cops gone wilid - new anti-Semitism in Central Florida

The hype is that anti-Semitism is alive and well in central Florida. During Rosh Hashanah services the cops were called to do something about the illegally parked cars. According to eyewitnesses, the cops were rude, aggressive and eager to bust some heads (or at least send some Jews to the clink).

I heard through the grapevine that the neighbors call the police every Shabbos to complain about the “Jews gathering to pray.” According to the news report, a student was arrested. Eyewitnesses say the real story is:

A girl mumbled, “Thanks for ruining our new year” while passing by a police officer. He replied, “what did you say?” and grabbed her by the arm, twisting it behind her back and pushing her against the police car. A boy (the student referred to in the news report) stepped in and said, “you can’t do that, if you take her, take me too.” The cop released the girl and arrested the boy instead.

Is this a real case of new-age-Southern Jew-lynching or just a community stressed about the holiday traffic? I don’t know, but everyone needs to chill out - Rosh Hashanah only happens once a year and if Shabbos traffic is overwhelming, maybe everyone can chip in and help the shul build a parking lot.

September 17th, 2007 Jewish Issues