Editor’s note: This article, published at 1:32 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2024, was updated at 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 17, 2024, to add comments from County Executive Marc Elrich.
A rabbi was assaulted with a wooden post as he walked along Arcola Avenue in Silver Spring on Monday morning and a suspect is in custody, Montgomery County police said Tuesday in a statement.
Junior Michael Reece, 47, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with felony assault and other related crimes in connection with the incident, according to the statement. The assault is being investigated as a hate crime.
“Police are trying to determine if this was a hate crime or just a coincidence,” County Executive Marc Elrich said at his weekly media briefing Wednesday.
Since the incident, the county’s faith liaison has reached out to the Rabbi and the congregation to offer help, Elrich said. He also noted that the county has resources to help combat hate violence such as the Office of Human Rights and the Committee Against Hate Violence.
In “moments like this it’s important to demonstrate our strong support for groups that feel targeted,” Elrich said. “We all share this community and everybody deserves to feel safe walking down the street here. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that that is the case.”
Montgomery County police officers responded to the 1400 block of Arcola Avenue shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday for the report of an assault, police said. An investigation found that the victim, who is a rabbi, was walking on the sidewalk on Arcola Avenue when he encountered Reece.
“For unknown reasons,” Reece swung a wooden stake at the victim, striking him, the statement said. The victim suffered minor injuries. Reece was found and taken into custody “a short distance from the incident.”
There are several synagogues near the 1400 block of Arcola Avenue, including the Silver Spring Jewish Center. The Yeshiva of Greater Washington-Tiferes Gedaliah, a Jewish community-based school, is also nearby.
Reece was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. After he was cleared, he was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, the statement said. As of Tuesday, online court records don’t have a lawyer listed for Reece.
Montgomery County is the most religiously diverse county in the nation and has a large Jewish population. A recent report from the Public Religion Research Institute found that Jewish people make up 9% of the county population.
Over the past several years, the county has experienced more hate incidents. Increases in antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ incidents contributed to an almost 20% overall increase in hate incidents in Maryland in 2022, according to an October 2023 report from the Maryland State Police. In Montgomery County, hate incidents motivated by religion grew from 30 in 2021 to 47 in 2022, a 56.7% increase.
In August, Montgomery County has faced several instances of antisemitic graffiti on school buildings and houses of worship.
In September, the Montgomery County government announced more nonprofit security grants to assist houses of worship and community organizations at risk of hate crimes pay for more security and safety measures.
Montgomery County police spokesperson Stacey Flynn said in an email to MoCo360 that in light of recent concerns, the department has increased patrols around Jewish institutions and places of worship.
“These actions are precautionary, and we remain in close communication with community leaders,” Flynn said in an email.
While the incident appeared to be isolated, Flynn said, residents are encouraged to report any suspicious activity and follow safety precautions included on the police department’s website.
MoCo360 reporter Ginny Bixby contributed to this story.
