Guests attending a May 8 event focused on Jewish identity were harassed by anti-Israel protesters who threw objects and red paint as attendees entered the Oakland venue, according to an event organizer. The Oakland Police Department is investigating.
Dyanna Loeb, event co-host, described the objects as “glass containers filled with red paint meant to imitate blood.” While she didn’t witness the altercation firsthand, she told J. she did see those who had been hit with paint by the demonstrators.
“I saw people coming in afterward with paint splattered all over them,” Loeb said.
She said the protesters also shouted antisemitic slurs, including “Baby killers,” “Genocidal pigs” and “If you have any family in Israel, I hope they all die.”
“We’re appalled such incidents would occur,” Loeb said. “And it’s a frightening indication of what’s going on in the Bay Area. I felt for a while now since Oct. 7 that Jews are being targeted and made to feel unsafe in the Bay Area. This only confirms that. And at the same time, it shows us our work in bringing community together is more needed than ever.”
The incident occurred just after 6 p.m., despite the presence of Oakland police stationed outside the venue and the hiring of private armed security. An OPD spokesperson said a small group of demonstrators gathered outside the Continental Club, the West Oakland venue where the event was taking place, and then two people in the group became aggressive.
“While officers were present at the scene, monitoring a group awaiting an event, several individuals arrived and initiated a demonstration,” the spokesperson said. “During the demonstration, two individuals threw objects filled with paint towards the group, resulting in an unknown victim and a building being struck.”
“The two individuals then fled the area on foot,” according to OPD. “This investigation is ongoing.”
The event proceeded as planned, according to those in attendance. The program — titled “Truth Telling in a Digital Age” — featured remarks from author and educator Debbie Lechtman, who operates a pro-Israel social media account under the name “Roots Metals.” Lechtman, a Jewish Latina who writes about “Jewish history and Jewish topics for a living,” according to her bio, spoke about Jewish identity and took questions from the audience.
The event was organized by Malka Productions, an event planning company specializing in “bringing impactful Jewish voices to the Bay Area,” according to its Instagram.
Loeb said organizers were trying to determine who leaked the event’s address, since it was intentionally not made public in advance.
Video from the incident shared with J. shows several attendees rushing inside the venue as commotion unfolds outside.
“I was about to get inside, and a few of the protesters, their faces were covered, they started throwing glass at us,” said South Bay resident Yuliya Eydelnant. “The glass was filled with red paint, a red substance, and it smelled chemically, like it was not meant for human skin. They were throwing it at our feet,” said Eydelnant. “It all happened very fast.”
“[They were] screaming really violent language… It was quite aggressive,” said Eydelnant, 33, a dance therapist for the disabled.
Nobody appeared to have been injured, she said.
In a statement, Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area condemned the actions of the protesters and said an incident report had been filed by the event’s organizers.
“Targeting anyone because of their identity is wrong,” the JCRC statement said. “The mob-style intimidation tactics displayed by these protesters is a stark reminder of the pervasive and insidious nature of hate and antisemitism.”
The incident occurred as antisemitic incidents in the Bay Area remain at record levels in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing and ongoing retaliatory war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.