Two women face criminal harassment charges over alleged anti-Semitic attack

Boise police arrested two women Thursday night on suspicion of felony malicious harassment following a confrontation between them and a Jewish man sitting in a restaurant with his wife.

Boise to Palestine, a local pro-Palestine movement, said on Instagram that the two were “unjustly arrested” and were merely exercising their right to free speech in a public space — not being anti-Semitic or threatening. A representative for one of the two women said in court Friday that the case was a First Amendment issue that will be fought vigorously.

However, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said in a department news release announcing the arrests that the “hateful” behavior was unacceptable.

“Freedom of speech does not give anyone the right to violate laws or attack individuals based on their religion, race or identity,” Winegar said. “We take incidents involving hateful bias very seriously and want to ensure that everyone continues to feel safe and welcome in our community. We appreciate the actions taken by our officers to resolve the immediate issue and further investigate this incident.”

The two women approached the couple in front of a business near the corner of 8th and Idaho streets. The man was “wearing a Kippah or Yamaka,” a traditional head covering for Jewish men, Boise police said in the release.

The two women made comments about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to the statement, sparking an argument. The women walked away but returned, leading to a second interaction in which one of the women put a phone in the man’s face, hitting him in the nose, police said.

Tensions have been rising across the country due to violence in the Middle East since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel responded with a massive amount of military force. There has been a pro-Palestine protest near the Idaho Capitol along Jefferson Street since May.