Judaism teaches that to save one life is to save an entire world (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5). Similarly, to kill a life is to destroy an entire world. Destruction must be met with retribution for there to be justice. But sadly, the exact opposite has just happened in our own neighborhood in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
We all remember almost three years ago when Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji killed Paul Kessler at a protest at Westlake and Thousand Oaks Blvd. Alnaji, a terrorist who teaches at Moorpark College ( and has been receiving his pay from Moorpark during this entire time period), struck Paul with the bullhorn, Paul fell and cracked his head on the cement, and subsequently died at the hospital. Our Sheriff and Chief of Police did amazing investigations to determine what happened, but the D.A. chose not to prosecute this as a hate crime, but as manslaughter, so that he could get an easy conviction. The defense attorney kept postponing things; the judge died, a new judge was appointed, and this new judge made a plea deal with Alnaji’s attorney. This murderer received one year in prison and two years of probation after he pleaded guilty and was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
This is a travesty of justice and truly despicable in every way. It is an indictment of our court system and a truly shameful act by both the judge and the district attorney, who set the stage and allowed this to happen.
And it is a loud symbolic gesture that Jewish life has little to no meaning in the eyes of some people. Again, it is the double standard of Justice: one set of rules for those people who are supportive of Israel, be they Jewish or Christian, and one set of rules for those who are anti-Israel.
Do not be confused for a moment. Had the circumstances been the exact opposite and a Jew had killed a pro-Palestinian demonstrator, the city and country would have burned with demonstrations as it did when George Floyd died. The government would have prosecuted the killer to the fullest possible extent, and there would have been cries for justice. Congress would have attempted to pass bills prohibiting islamophobia, and it would have become an even bigger piece of news than Floyd, and similarly, would have created riots.
We need to not only mourn Paul z”l, but remember the truth that we are seeing in society today, even in our own neighborhood. As Professor Alan Dershowitz said, we are seeing that for many, Jewish blood is not as valuable as other blood. We must all not only recognize that that is a popular attitude, but also determine what we choose to do with that knowledge.
I am in Israel, but will try to stay up to date if anything changes, or if the world suddenly chooses to act on this violation of Jewish civil rights.
The theater of negotiations is continuing today as Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Doha to meet with mediators in negotiations with Iran. According to a Qatar spokesman, “No high-level meeting between the United States and Iran is planned in Doha. Technical meetings between the parties continue in various forms, and the visit of Witkoff and Kushner does not include direct negotiations with Iran.”
The war continues here in the Middle East, and here in the U.S. How Jews are treated has always been the canary in the coal mine, and the mine does not look healthy.
But as I sit here in Israel, it is a moment-by-moment reminder of the power and presence of God. When in Israel, it is so easy to have perfect faith and to see God’s hand in every moment.
Am Yisrael Chai is not a slogan of words, nor is it just a hope. When you are in Israel, it is easy to remember that it is just a statement of fact: the people of Israel live, now and always.
Chazak u’Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
July 1, 2026
16th of Tammuz, 5786
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