Two Israeli American men were brutally attacked outside a popular restaurant in San Jose on Sunday afternoon in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime.

The victims, Lior Zeevi, 47, and Daniel Levy, 48, were waiting for a table outside Augustine, an upscale restaurant in the busy Santana Row shopping district, when three young men suddenly descended on them and began punching and kicking them while they spoke Hebrew to each other, the men said.

Video of the assault, which occurred around 3:38 p.m., quickly spread across social media. The footage shows three attackers repeatedly striking one of the victims on the ground under navy-blue patio umbrellas outside the restaurant while stunned diners and pedestrians look on.

In one video clip, a woman can be heard shouting, “Knock it off!” while another voice calls out, “Arrest them!” A dog barks in the background as the attack unfolds in broad daylight.

According to Zeevi and Levy, both originally from Haifa and longtime friends who met through Chabad of Almaden, the violence erupted suddenly while they were waiting to be seated.

Levy noticed one of the men approaching with what he described as a “very weird look” and asked the individual, “Do we know each other?”

Moments later, the assault began.

“When I turned around to see who he’s talking to, it was already too late,” Zeevi said. “They started punching, and it was brutal.”

Zeevi said that while he was being beaten he heard one of the attackers shout a slur, including the words “[expletive] Jew.”

Additional video obtained by local media shows the attack in greater detail. One of the victims is seen lying on the ground while two men strike him repeatedly. One attacker, dressed in black pants and a black T-shirt, kneels and punches him in the face multiple times. Another man in white pants kicks him while he is down. A third assailant rushes toward Levy, who had already been knocked to the ground.

After the assault, the three men fled the scene.

Police confirmed that the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
The attack comes at a time when Jewish security organizations say threats against Jewish communities are rising globally due to tensions surrounding the ongoing war involving Iran.

The Secure Community Network, a nonprofit that monitors threats to Jewish institutions across North America, has warned that international conflicts in the Middle East can trigger spikes in antisemitic incidents domestically.

Jewish advocacy groups are now closely monitoring the case.

Marc Levine, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League’s San Francisco office, described the assault as deeply troubling.

“A horrific attack against members of the local Jewish community took place in broad daylight at San Jose’s Santana Row,” Levine said. “We will continue to provide updates to the community as we are able.”

The ADL said it is coordinating with San Jose police, the office of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen as the investigation proceeds.

Zeevi said he hopes the suspects are identified and held accountable.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)