Chicago police are stepping up patrols in the West Rogers Park neighborhood after a man’s antisemitic rants were captured on doorbell cameras.
The man came to the neighborhood Wednesday night and was captured on video repeatedly referencing the Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary organization operated by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, and Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.
“Come and meet your owners’ hand, SS Schutzstaffel,” the man is repeatedly heard yelling in the video.
According to Danny Schwartz, cofounder of the Chicago Jewish Alliance, the community is being asked to stay vigilant after the harrowing incident.
“This gentleman came to a predominantly Jewish community to intimidate them, specifically invoking anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish talking points, saying we don’t need the Mossad and that we need the SS,” he said.
The homeowner whose doorbell camera captured the footage expressed shock and outrage about the racist incident, but declined to be interviewed on-camera because of fears of retaliation by the individual captured in the video.
The SS was the organization who helped the Nazis to carry out the brutal genocide of the Holocaust, with its members committing atrocities and war crimes during the entirety of World War II.
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Chicago Ald. Debra Silverstein represents the ward where the incident took place, and she has arranged for additional patrols in the area.
“My office was sent the video. I have spoken with the police commander, and they are very aware of this,” she said. “They are increasing patrols. They want to be very visible in this neighborhood.”
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Silverstein hopes that the incident serves as a reminder that antisemitism is on the rise, and that residents need to remain vigilant.
“We need to make sure that people learn about what antisemitism is, and ways in which we can combat it,” she said.
Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to call Chicago police.
