Paul Kessler mourned as pro-Israel ‘symbol’ in days after death

The elderly Jewish man who died during a clash with a pro-Palestinian protester was mourned this week as a “symbol” of strength amid growing antisemitic hate.

Paul Kessler had been protecting his long-held belief that Jewish people have the right to live and prosper without harassment or fear on a suburban Los Angeles corner that fateful Sunday when he fell to the ground and hit his head, according to his longtime rabbi.

“Like most Jews, he has a love for Israel, believes that Jews should be allowed to live in Israel,” Rabbi Ari Averbach of the Thousand Oaks’ Temple Etz Chaim told the Los Angeles Times as questions over his death remain.

The 69-year-old father of two had shown up to the pro-Israel counterprotest with an Israeli flag in hand after a neighbor asked him to stand across a pro-Palestinian demonstration that had gathered at a nearby intersection.

Investigators said Kessler had gotten into an altercation with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator when he fell, but witnesses claim the unidentified individual had “stalked” the elderly man before beating him over the head with a microphone.

He died at an area hospital several hours later, with investigators ruling the manner of death a homicide due to blunt-force head trauma consistent with a fall — though the medical determination does not indicate a crime was committed.

Kessler also had injuries that “could be consistent” with a blow to the face, but it’s unclear what caused his fall, the Ventura County medical examiner said.

His death — and the lack of resolution in the case — has only escalated local Jewish community members’ concerns that Kessler was possibly attacked because of his support for Israel.

“He has become a symbol for something bigger — that wasn’t his intention,” Averbach said. “He was not looking for trouble.”

Despite the growing fear, some religious leaders are warning their members not to rush to judgment and to place their trust in local law enforcement instead.

Averbach said he didn’t want Jewish people to retaliate and only further a growing divide stemming from the Israel-Hamas crisis.

“The world is watching this moment — what was a little interaction with neighbors is now a global crisis,” he told the outlet. “I hope it is not continued or exacerbated. … I hope anyone at any rally can feel safe.”

“Our community is really shaken right now,” he added. “We are trying to figure how to keep living here … To stand with us and mourn with us, that reminded me that this can — or should — be a safe place.”

The synagogue held a small private vigil in Kessler’s memory Wednesday, as community members carpeted the street corner where he suffered his fatal fall with flowers and candles.

“I didn’t want people to think this guy didn’t matter,” a local synagogue member, who requested anonymity, told the outlet.

Another local said Kessler’s death brings the war — which has claimed roughly 1,300 Israeli and more than 11,000 Palestinian lives — closer to home.

“When the missiles and bombs are happening in Israel and Gaza, you feel that to a certain degree, but you really feel it when we’re two miles away and somebody — whether it was an accident or he was pushed or hit, we don’t know — but it wouldn’t have happened if there wasn’t this conflict,” said Chuck Conway, who lives close to the suburban town where Kessler fell.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday it was “working around the clock to track down leads, scrutinize electronic data, and corroborate witness statements.”

Investigators have asked for video and photo evidence from the incident, particularly if it captures the alleged assault taking place, adding that many witness statements conflict with one another.

“There are photos and videos prior to and following the incident,” the statement said.

“Currently, we do not have any footage of the actual incident taking place, which would be extremely helpful in this case and would undoubtedly show or could even refute criminal culpability.”