Gunfire erupts near synagogue, ex-Chicago Public Schools pupil targets at city's antisemitism testimonial

In a press conference ahead of a hearing on combating anti-Semitism, 50th Ward Alderman Debra Silverstein announced her concerns about the rising instances of anti-Semitic incidents in Chicago.

Shiri Litwick, a former Chicago Public Schools student, testified about her personal experiences of anti-Semitism at Philip Rogers Elementary School in West Rogers Park. Litwick recounted an incident where boys in her class attacked her, with one shouting "free Palestine" and another cutting a chunk of her hair. Despite reporting the incident, the boys were not disciplined, and the teacher remains on the job.

Eitan Bleichman, a resident of the West Rogers Park neighborhood, testified about being shot on his way to Saturday morning synagogue. Bleichman described finding a hole in his lapel with blood coming through after the incident. The shooting was unprovoked, and police believe Bleichman was targeted because he is Jewish.

The Jewish community in Chicago accounts for just 3% of the city population, but anti-Jewish hate crime was up 58% in 2024. Swastikas have been discovered in Little Village and Hyde Park this year, adding to the growing concerns.

Silverstein accused the Johnson administration of not taking anti-Jewish hate crime seriously and not inviting certain major Jewish organizations to testify. The city council's only Jewish member also stated that Jewish children in the community live under lockdown and have never had a school day without armed guards.

Silverstein and over a dozen other aldermen expressed disappointment with how the hearing was run, stating that it minimized or politicized anti-Semitism and ignored the full scope of threats Jewish Chicagoans face daily.

Ahead of the hearing, Silverstein held a press conference with Jewish leaders, including representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Simon Wiesenthal Center, StandWithUs, and a victim of anti-Semitic harassment.

The Chicago Commission on Human Relations will issue a report of recommendations in about 60 days following the hearing. Silverstein and other aldermen demand that city leadership stop treating anti-Semitism as a political issue and start treating it as the urgent crisis it is.

Gunfire erupts near synagogue, ex-Chicago Public Schools pupil targets at city's antisemitism testimonial