MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A South Florida rabbi remains shaken up and concerned after being harassed last week outside a Miami Beach synagogue.

Police arrested Christopher Martinez, who was allegedly harassing an elderly rabbi before hurling anti-Semitic slurs at a Good Samaritan rabbi who intervened on Tuesday.

It happened around 2:30 p.m. near 12th Street and Alton Road in Miami Beach, in front of a Jewish synagogue.

“He was making (statements like) kill Jews, that sort of thing,” said the intervening rabbi, who asked not to be identified. “My first thought (was to) get some distance.”

According to authorities, Martinez approached the rabbi who was standing outside the synagogue and started pointing what appeared to be a silver handgun while shouting the words “murder” and “Jew.”

It turns out, the item that looked like gun was not a firearm at all. Police said it was a butane lighter that was crafted to look like a pistol.

“We all want to walk freely and never think about that,” said the rabbi.

In a recent court appearance, a judge found probable cause for an aggravated assault charge against Martinez, and additionally recognized a hate-related component.

Bond was set at $25,000, citing the seriousness and Martinez’s past record. Police said Martinez, who was listed in an arrest form as homeless, was a “habitual offender” with more than 80 arrests in Miami Beach and past incidents with guns.

As of Thursday afternoon, he remained behind bars at Turner Guilford Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County.

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