UK
London Jewish boy gets death threats after wearing IDF costume for Purim
The image was reposted by social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers
March 25, 2024 14:34
The image was reposted by social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers
March 25, 2024 14:34A Jewish boy has been threatened with death and abused as a “Nazi” after a photo of him wearing an IDF uniform for Purim went viral on social media.
The image of the child with his face clearly visible was shared by accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers between them.
Some acounts called the child a “Nazi” and an “animal”; others threatened to attack him equated the IDF with Hamas.
One post read: "Looks like a terrorist. Kill him.”
The child, who looks no older than ten, was pictured walking along a clearly identifiable street in London’s Stamford Hill wearing green khakis bearing the Israeli flag, a red military hat and a plastic assault rifle.
The area is home to one of London’s biggest Orthodox communities.
Anonymous account War Monitor shared a photo of the boy to over 900,000 followers on Monday with the caption: “Jewish child walking around … in Stamford Hill, London, dressed as an ‘IDF’ member carrying an assault rifle. Disgusting and despicable behaviour as usual from these people”.
Dilly Hussain, an anti-Israel agitator and editor of Muslim blog 5 Pillars, tweeted the photo to over 100,000 followers.
Purim marks the survival of the Jews after the Persian king tried to murder them. People commemorate the festival with costumes of Queen Esther and Mordechai and more contemporary get-ups such as IDF uniforms.
IDF costumes for children can be purchased from Amazon for £23.99, although the toy weapon is not included. The company that makes the costume, Dress Up America, also sells US Army outfits for children aged from one to 14.