San Jose Police Investigate Assault as Antisemitic Hate Crime

San Jose police are investigating a brutal assault on two Israeli-American men outside an upscale restaurant in the city's Santana Row shopping district as a possible antisemitic hate crime. The attack unfolded Sunday afternoon, when three young men approached the victims while they spoke Hebrew and began punching them repeatedly, according to authorities.

The victims, identified as Lior Zeevi, 47, and Daniel Levy, 48, both originally from Haifa and longtime friends, were waiting for a table outside Augustine restaurant when the incident occurred. Police said the altercation began after the suspects overheard the men conversing in Hebrew. Witnesses reported that the attackers used antisemitic slurs during the assault, including one yelling, "Fucking Jew," as Zeevi described to investigators. Video footage circulating online captured portions of the violence, showing two suspects striking one victim on the ground while a third moved toward the second man. Bystanders shouted for the attackers to stop, but the trio fled before police arrived.

Both men sustained minor injuries, including swelling to the head and face, a split lip for Levy, and a torn shirt for Zeevi. Levy briefly...