Over the weekend, self-described “Zionist,” David Moritz, received an anonymous threat in the mail. It comes nearly a month after he and two others were assaulted while attending an event entitled “Strategic Lessons from the Palestinian Resistance.”
On June 29, Moritz attended the event along with Monica Buckley and Bob Campbell, all three of whom are Asheville residents and supporters of Israel. The three of them were allegedly assaulted by other attendees who objected to them live-streaming the event.
“They’re Zionists; We’ve been trying to figure out how to deal with them,” someone says in the video Buckley recorded.
What is a Zionist?
Buckley, Moritz, and Campbell, consider themselves “proud Zionists.” Moritz told Carolina Journal that the term “Zionist” is simply someone who supports and cares about Israel. More people are identifying with the term since Oct. 7, despite efforts in recent years by some pro-Palestine groups to recast it as a slur.
Buckley and Moritz both have Jewish heritage and actively support Israel. Moritz is the son of a Holocaust survivor, while Buckley is an active and outspoken Jewish Zionist. Bob Campbell, an 80-year-old cancer patient, is not Jewish but told CJ that he identifies with the word “Zionist.”
“I feel exactly what the Zionists feel,” Campbell said. “Israel has a right to be an independent state and the right to the area of the world which they occupy.”
“I believe in the establishment of Israel, which was what Zionism originally meant,” Moritz told CJ. “I think it’s important that Israel was established because it has meant the safety of Jews. Zionism was the movement to establish Israel as the home and to reestablish Israel as the homeland of the Jews, and that has been accomplished. So, in that sense, the word is somewhat obsolete, but it’s still used by Jews to show support for Israel and its establishment. I don’t find that to be insulting. I’m proud of being a Zionist.”
According to Moritz, Jews who do not support the state of Israel might find it insulting because they do not want to be viewed as “Zionist.”
Moritz explained that he believes the word’s definition has been corrupted by those who oppose Israel and have actively tried to associate Zionism with societal problems.
“That’s consistent with how antisemitism has been over the centuries,” said Moritz. “Whatever the ill of society is, they will accuse Jews of being part of that. So, for example, when people hated communists, they claimed that Jews were the communists. When people hate capitalists, they claim Jews are the capitalists. Antisemitism is a very fungible thing.”
the June 29 attack in Asheville
Moritz and Campbell recounted the attack in the Asheville library saying that they, with Buckley, entered the library’s conference room and sat in three chairs along the far wall. They said they sat quietly as the event unfolded, but observed five individuals blocking the exit.
“We got inside, and they said we had to wear a mask because the Hamas and Antifa people don’t let anybody know who they are. So we got masks and put them on,” Campbell told CJ.
“We went over and sat down, and they started to speak. And the first thing they did was praise Hamas for the rape that they did and the people that they murdered,” he continued. “We didn’t say anything or make any movements at all.”
At this point, the three said they began to feel unsafe, but Moritz said he was not worried because they were in the public library.
“Some of the brochures of their event even stated that it was a friendly event open to everybody,” said Moritz. “We didn’t say a word, not a peep.”
Their presence began to draw attention in the room, so Mortiz thought it would be safer to live-stream the event on their phones. The other attendees started discussing Moritz, Buckley, and Campbell, and someone called them out for live-streaming.
According to news reports, Buckley said someone had asked her to stop recording earlier in the meeting, and she responded, “No, thank you.”
Attendees and the event leader continued debating their presence until Campbell said the leader told the mob, “Do what you want to do,” and “Let’s decolonize this place from the Zionists.”
“He mentioned murder,” according to Campbell. “He said there may be a murder.”
At this point, the three say that several large men, 200 pounds or more, surrounded them. Moritz stated that he, Buckley, and Campbell remained seated because he did not think the crowd would be violent in a public library.
“What are you guys afraid of? Don’t you want your message to be spread?” said Moritz.
At that point they say someone grabbed Buckley’s phone and ran out the door with it. Buckley followed and was attacked.
“I couldn’t even see her, there were people piled on her, pulling her, hitting her, throwing her around,” said Campbell. “I sit up and walk toward her, and about the time I got to her, they had thrown her right in front of me, across to my left, and somebody grabbed me from behind and threw me down on the floor and started, kicking.”
Campbell says he was drug into the lobby of the library while the attackers laughed.
“I told the guy, ‘I’m 80 years old, and I have cancer. You don’t have to do much.’ He said, ‘I don’t care how old you are.’ And so they drug me out, and I thought, I’m going to die,” remembers Campbell.
“When that happened, I put my phone in my pocket, I had to jump onto a chair and then jump over to get to Monica [Buckley], and then they attacked me,” said Moritz.
“They’re Hamas animals,” said Campbell. “They’re laughing while beating and mobbing three people and cheering themselves on.”
Campbell said the attackers eventually ceased their assault when they realized that Moritz was not going to go quietly.
“I thought, I’m old and was in the Navy; I was a sailor and don’t deserve to be treated this way. I felt really emasculated,” said Campbell.
“statement on fascists…”
In a statement released after the incident, Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair (ACAB) called the three “fascists” and accused Moritz of infiltrating Palestinian encampments at both UCLA and Asheville to intentionally incite conflict.
Moritz denied these claims to CJ, saying they only go to known public places where citizens have the right to enter, never any private venues.
Jason Hyatt, the library director of Buncombe County Public Libraries, confirmed that library policy requires any outside group to use the library’s meeting room to host a free and open-to-the-public event.
“Identifying persons of interest has been difficult for several reasons; attendees wearing masks, the lack of security cameras in the meeting room, and limited information being shared about their identities,” Rick Rice, a public information officer for Asheville Police Department (APD), told the Carolina Journal in an email.
The APD has “charged Michael Solomon Brocenos (09/11/1989) and Tyler Byrne Hackett Kelly (10/20/1990) with Ethnic Intimidation specifically for their actions on June 29th at the West Asheville Library,” according to a press release. Brocenos is not yet in custody and is described as a “white male, 34 years old, 6’ 2”, 165 pounds.” Kelly is described as “a white male, 33 years old, 5’11”, with red hair and blue eyes.” The release also mentions that “He is known to frequent the Haywood Road area of West Asheville.”
APD asks for the public’s help identifying unidentified persons of interest and locating Brocenos and Kelly. You can text TIP2APD to 847411 to share information anonymously or use the TIP2APD smartphone app. You can also share information by calling 828-252-1110.