MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A 25-year-old man faces two criminal charges after his recent arrest over accusations of antisemitic harassment at Temple Moses in Miami Beach’s Normandy Isle.
Police officers arrested Jonathan Toubes at 11:50 p.m. on Monday, near Bay Drive and Marseille Drive, after talking to Rabbi Daniel Haddad and other witnesses.
Toubes, who lives near the Sephardic synagogue at 1200 Normandy Drive, was riding a scooter when he stopped to shout at a man outside the synagogue on Sept. 16.
According to police, witnesses said Toubes shouted, “Free Palestine!” and “Christ is King!” and “Get out of my neighborhood!”
A witness said Toubes, who had already shouted at him at a local market, was “circling the area,” according to the Miami Beach police arrest report.
A man who works in security at the synagogue told Toubes that people “felt threatened by his words and actions,” but Toubes allegedly “continued to aggressively express his anti-Jewish views” and said “that he had a right to express himself” and eventually left the area, according to the report.
The synagogue is also home to Moses Montessori for Torah learning and Hebrew language lessons.
Prosecutors filed two cases, a felony and a misdemeanor, against Toubes. Toubes faced a felony of disturbing schools and religious, and other assemblies, and a misdemeanor for harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religion and ethnic heritage. His bond for the felony was $2,500, and $1,000 for the misdemeanor.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Christine Hernandez was set to preside over the felony case. Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Stephanie Silver was set to preside over the misdemeanor case. His arraignment is at 9 a.m. on Nov. 21.
Local 10 News Senior Assignment Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.
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