NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A Jewish New Jersey family had planned to spend a leisurely day at New Jersey's American Dream mall on New Year's Day playing miniature golf, but a hate- and profanity-fueled verbal and physical encounter with a young man and woman at the shopping center changed all of that.
Adi Vaxman and Ronen Magid were at the East Rutherford mall with their daughter Maya Vaxman-Magid, 16 -- who was wearing a khaki green Israel Defense Forces (IDF) jacket -- and son Ethan Vaxman-Magid, 12. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Vaxman said the jacket was a gift from the teen's veteran grandfather.
The altercation meshes with the Anti-Defamation League's latest report, which reveals a 388% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in the U.S. following Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel.
Back in the Garden State, once the family caught the eye -- and seemingly the ire -- of the couple, the attack began: "We hear a man calling and screaming, 'free Palestine, f*** Israel, f*** you, you w**' — 'you b***,' he was calling my daughter," Vaxman told the Daily Mail.
The female assailant joined in, yelling at the family, "You're recording me without my permission! It's free Palestine 'til I f***ing die b***! Free Palestine 'til I f***ing die b***h!'"
Maya's father pleads with the attackers, "Leave her alone, leave her alone!"
Her mom is also heard pleading with the couple, "You're attacking me, you attacked me and dropped my phone! ... 'You're cursing my child! You're cursing my child!'"
The New Jersey State Police told 1010 WINS Wednesday, "The incident is currently under investigation and there is no additional information available."
According to the American Dream's "prohibited conduct" guidelines, the following is cited on its website: "Intimidating/threatening behavior by groups or individuals, including behavior likely to provoke a disturbance or infringe on the rights or peace of other patrons, e.g., apparel, gestures, obscenities, or slurs based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity."
But where was American Dream security? And does this attack fall under the aforementioned "prohibted conduct"?
American Dream isn't saying yet. 1010 WINS and other news organizations have reached out for comment -- and the mall has yet to release one.