A self-professed “Jew hater” responsible for a string of assaults at Israel-Gaza protests in Manhattan expressed a brief apology as he learned his fate Tuesday. However, at least one of his victims was unmoved by the remorse.
Tarek Bazrouk, 20, was sentenced to 17 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal hate crime charges for kicking and punching Jewish people at three demonstrations, the most recent occurring in January.
“I’m sorry, guys, and I hope that you forgive me for my actions,” Bazrouk said, turning around at the defense table to face two of his victims in Manhattan federal court. “I promise you, judge, that if you give me a chance you will not be disappointed,” added Bazrouk, a Manhattan native whose family is Palestinian, during a statement that lasted about a minute.
The brief apology did not impress one of his victims, Roman Efraimov, who was wearing an Israeli flag draped over his shoulders and a Star of David chain around his neck when Bazrouk punched him in the nose at a protest on 18th Street and First Avenue earlier this year, according to federal officials.
“I don’t believe that he has remorse or knows the seriousness of the crime,” Efraimov told Judge Richard Berman, adding that Bazrouk “smirked” at him while issuing his statement. “He turned around twice and smirked. I don’t feel it in my gut,” Efraimov said in court.
Judge Berman handed down a sentence below prosecutors’ recommendation of at least three years behind bars but above the 12 months suggested by the probation department.
“People who assault Jews, or people of any other ethnicity or faith at protests because of their identity, are very likely to go to jail,” Berman said from the bench. “It works the opposite way as well. The rules that are applied in this case do not apply to Jews or Palestinians alone. They apply to everybody.”
On April 15, 2024, Bazrouk, wearing a green headband typically worn by Hamas members, kicked another kippah-wearing Jew, Elisha Baker, in the chest as he stood with an Israeli flag and sang a Jewish song near the New York Stock Exchange, according to federal authorities.
Baker addressed the court, saying, “My experiences as a Jew in America have been altered forever because of the actions of this man.”
“When I looked in his eyes, I saw someone who sought to hurt me and cause me pain just because of who I am,” Baker added.
Bazrouk also punched a kippah-wearing Columbia University student in the face during a separate protest on December 9, 2024, after stealing an Israeli flag from the student’s brother, prosecutors said.
The federal prosecutors pushed for a harsh sentence, citing Bazrouk’s “repeated, premeditated assaults on Jewish individuals based on their ethnicity and religion” and the “ongoing danger he poses to Jews.”
They also highlighted Bazrouk’s “deeply seeded anti-Jewish animus,” revealed by text messages, including a May 2024 message to a friend stating, “I’m a Jew hater,” accompanied by a crying laughing emoji.
Additionally, prosecutors alleged Bazrouk was a member of a chat group that received “regular updates” from Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’ deadly al-Qassam Brigades militant group.
Bazrouk’s attorney, public defender Andrew Dalack, argued unsuccessfully for the judge to release his client from jail—where he has been held since his May arrest—and allow him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Dalack maintained that Bazrouk was remorseful and “has continued to grapple with how those terrible decisions not only affected him but his family and his community.”
Dalack also revealed in court filings that Bazrouk’s cousin was “killed by Israeli settlers” in May 2008, “even though he was not participating in any hostilities.”
Bazrouk pleaded guilty in June, just one month after his arrest, and appeared to express contrition in a letter sent to the court.
“I don’t want to see more attacks on Israel like the one committed by Hamas on October 7. I don’t want to see any more people in Gaza die of starvation or from bombings,” Bazrouk wrote.
“What I know now that I wish I knew a year ago is this: I’m certain that punching and kicking Jewish or Israeli people won’t solve anything. It won’t make me feel better. It won’t take away the pain and suffering of Palestinians. And it certainly won’t help bring Palestinians and Israelis closer together.”
As Judge Berman announced the 17-month sentence, Bazrouk, dressed in a tan jail-issued jumpsuit, turned to face his relatives in the courthouse gallery, including his older sister, who began silently weeping.
Following the hearing, Efraimov told The Post he considered the sentence “fair,” while Baker said, “I feel safer now that I know my attacker will not be roaming the streets for a considerable amount of time.”
“The message that the judge sent today was that if you target and assault Jews simply because they are Jewish, you will be held accountable,” Baker added.
Before the sentence was handed down, Bazrouk’s sister, Anwar Bazrouk, addressed the court.
“I want to emphasize that me and my family strongly condemn violence in all forms,” she said. “We are all committed to making sure that nothing like this happens again.”
Anwar also expressed confusion over her brother’s hateful text messages uncovered during the investigation.
“I ask myself about the text messages, I ask myself where he learned to say those things about Jewish people,” she said. “We come from a humble family that never taught him to say those things.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/28/us-news/self-professed-jew-hater-learns-fate-for-slew-of-assaults-at-nyc-israel-gaza-protests-im-sorry-guys/
