Three cars were set on fire and antisemitic graffiti, including the phrase “Death to the IDF,” was spray-painted in a residential neighborhood in Clayton, a suburb of St. Louis, late Tuesday night, according to local media and officials.
Civil rights attorney Leo Terrell, head of the Trump administration’s antisemitism task force, called the incident a “horrific antisemitic attack” targeting a U.S. citizen who had previously served in the Israel Defense Forces and recently returned home.
"Today the Israeli Embassy alerted me to a horrific antisemitic attack in St. Louis. An American citizen who served in the IDF returned to his family home. Soon after, he and his family were targeted," he tweeted.
"I reviewed graphic footage of vehicles belonging to the family and their friends. The vehicles were set on fire and destroyed. Hateful graffiti outside the family’s home accused him of being a murderer and called for death to the IDF."
Terrell took action right away: "I immediately contacted the FBI, which is engaging the St. Louis team, and alerted Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office. I also spoke directly with the family, so they know that the DOJ Task Force to Combat Antisemitism is on this 24/7. "
He promised the incident would not go unanswered. "I am outraged. Antisemitic violence has no place in America, not in St. Louis and not anywhere. We will pursue every avenue to bring the perpetrators to justice. If you commit antisemitic hate crimes, you will be caught. And you will be held accountable."
Local station KMOV 4 News reported additional graffiti at the scene on Westmoreland Avenue, some of which was blurred in their footage due to its specific and threatening nature. A suspect has reportedly been taken into custody. No injuries were reported.
The local fire department responded to extinguish the vehicle fires, and police are treating the incident as a hate crime. Terrell said he has contacted the FBI about the case, vowing that perpetrators of antisemitic hate crimes "will be caught and held accountable."
Community leaders strongly condemned the attack.
“This is more than vandalism—it’s a hateful act of intimidation,” said Danny Cohn, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. “It’s the direct consequence of unchecked antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric.”
The Federation’s Community Security Team is working with law enforcement on the investigation. Clayton Mayor Bridget McAndrew also condemned the attack as "an offensive and violent act of arson," affirming it is being pursued as a hate crime.
Jordan Kadosh of the Anti-Defamation League said the incident reflects a disturbing trend: “When you hear calls to ‘globalize the intifada,’ this is what it looks like—burned-out cars in American suburbs.”
The attack follows a sharp rise in antisemitic violence across the U.S. since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. FBI data recently revealed that hate crimes against Jewish people reached a record high of 1,938 incidents in 2024, accounting for 16% of all hate crimes and nearly 70% of those motivated by religion.
Cohn called on civic leaders to speak out against antisemitism “in all its forms,” warning that inflammatory rhetoric has real-world consequences. “What starts as words increasingly escalates into threats and violence.”