Elisha Wiesel, the son of famed Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel (of Night fame), recently revealed how pro-Hamas supporters harassed him for proudly wearing an Israeli flag.
The incident reportedly happened at Penn Station in New York on Monday when several men in masks began harassing him.
“[I] threw an Israeli flag around myself when I saw a crowd of angry Hamas supporters flood the area. They are cowardly and hide behind their masks. NYPD insisted I remove the flag as the situation was getting dangerous. Would not let me counterprotest,” he announced on X.
Wisel later posted a video of the incident, which indeed showed the men in masks harassing him before police stepped up to quell the situation.
“That’s a flag of terrorism,” a masked man could be heard telling Wiesel, presumably referring to the Israeli flag draped over his shoulders.
Video of the Penn Station incident. 500 Hamas supporters shouting slogans surrounded us. I put on an Israeli flag I carry with me. The cowards hid behind their masks. NYPD insisted I remove the flag as situation was getting dangerous. pic.twitter.com/mr9Hb0k87Z
— Elisha Wiesel (@ElishaWiesel) December 18, 2023
Penn Station. Threw an Israeli flag around myself when I saw a crowd of angry Hamas supporters flood the area. They are cowardly and hide behind their masks. NYPD insisted I remove the flag as the situation was getting dangerous. Would not let me counterprotest. pic.twitter.com/DNs94k7kTD
— Elisha Wiesel (@ElishaWiesel) December 18, 2023
The video prompted significant outrage on social media.
“NYPD insisted I remove the flag” is one of the most disgusting and disappointing things to read. And from @ElishaWiesel, son of famous Holocaust survivor and writer Eli Wiesel z”l. @NYPDnews how is that your answer? How about making these Hamassholes remove their masks… https://t.co/7GiTdGGUmD
— Arynne Wexler (@ArynneWexler) December 18, 2023
NYC used to have a law criminalizing the covering of a face in public (like every other state) but the shortsighted Democrats in charge repealed the law permanently. https://t.co/LVEi2714ip
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) December 18, 2023
An object lesson in courage vs. cowardice.
One person shows their identity with pride. The other refuses to show their face.@JDCUSA1 why don’t we go stand with @ElishaWiesel? And all go get some great deli afterwards? https://t.co/MEBRpZe3sD— Rachel Feldman (@RaychFeldman) December 18, 2023
Bravery in the face of such face covered cowards. @ElishaWiesel thank you for reminding me today, how strong we must be, in the face of this evil. https://t.co/ZlbKJrjgo6
— Michal R°kah (@Michal_Rokah) December 18, 2023
According to NBC New York, the pro-Palestinian “demonstration gathered inside Penn Station’s Moynihan Train Hall in midtown Manhattan on Monday evening.”
“The group came from the Port Authority Bus Terminal and earlier marched down 42nd Street from Grand Central Terminal where the MTA earlier warned commuters about travel restrictions,” it noted. “Police could be seen barricading and blocking entrances to Penn Station around 5 p.m., including a NJ TRANSIT entrance on 7th Avenue, but the group appeared able to enter the building on 33rd Street.”
In his riveting op-ed for the Hill in November, Wiesel wrote that antisemitic hatred would spread beyond Jews and sabotage the whole world if left unchecked.
“After bearing witness to the horrors of Auschwitz, [my father] demanded that the world fight evil. He warned that hatred which begins with antisemitism inevitably threatens the whole world,” he said.
“So many of us have woken up since Oct. 7 to a nightmare where we are told that we must accept terror attacks as the price for living in our ancient homeland. We are told that we may not destroy enemies that are trying to destroy us,” he continued.
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