A memorial event promoting Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation was violently disrupted Tuesday night in Ra’anana, when right-wing activists stormed a Reform synagogue where the ceremony was being screened. Police arrested three suspects for assault, and said that four officers and three participants were injured during the riot.
Roughly 80 people had gathered at the Reform Beit Samueli synagogue to view a livestream of the annual Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony, organized by the Parents Circle–Families Forum and Combatants for Peace. The ceremony, held simultaneously in Jaffa and other locations, brings together bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones in the conflict. For two decades, the event has offered an alternative to Israel’s official Memorial Day ceremonies.
What began as a protest by some 200 right-wing demonstrators outside the synagogue quickly escalated into physical violence. Protesters shouted slogans including “Death to terrorists,” “Go to Gaza,” and “All the Arabs are whores.” Video footage shows demonstrators waving Israeli flags, hurling abuse, and storming the synagogue’s entrance. Some broke windows, threw firecrackers, and assaulted participants. One woman, Shuvit, who attended the event, told Channel 12 News, “We suffered stones, firecrackers, eggs, kicks, spitting, beatings.” She said she was struck in the head by a rock as she was evacuated.
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Police forces were initially outnumbered and struggled to control the scene. Attendees were eventually removed in small groups, shielded by officers. Several vehicles belonging to attendees were damaged as they left, and police confirmed injuries among both civilians and law enforcement. One woman wearing a hijab was attacked in her car while passing by, and required police intervention to be safely removed.
Orly Erez-Likhovski, deputy director of the Reform Movement in Israel, sustained a head injury when her car was stoned. “They kicked the car, someone threw a rock at us, and two motorcyclists chased after us,” she told local media. Erez-Likhovski said the Reform movement had warned police about threats in advance, but only five officers were initially deployed.
Knesset member Gilad Kariv, a Reform rabbi representing the Labor party, called the incident “an attempted pogrom.” He accompanied Erez-Likhovski to the hospital and publicly accused far-right leaders of enabling the violence. “What connection do mobs shouting ‘death to Arabs’ and ‘may your village burn’ have to the sacred memory of IDF fallen soldiers?” Kariv wrote on social media. “These are hooligans who receive backing and the turning of a blind eye from state leaders.”
The head of the local Likud branch, Racheli Ben Ari Sakat, praised the protesters on Facebook, calling the event “a disgrace” and declaring, “To the left in Ra’anana, I announce that this is only the opening shot. Don’t try us.” Her statements drew sharp rebukes from opposition parties and peace organizations, who accused the ruling party of encouraging political violence.
Despite the chaos, organizers insisted the event went on as planned. In a statement, the Parents Circle–Families Forum said, “We will not stop our campaign for peace, justice, and security for both peoples.” Other groups, including Standing Together and the It’s Time coalition, also expressed solidarity, vowing that such attacks would not silence efforts for coexistence.