By: Fern Sidman- Jewish Voice News

By any measure, the quiet suburban streets of Redlands, California, are an unlikely setting for an episode of religiously motivated intimidation. Yet on the evening of Friday, December 12, that illusion of tranquility was violently shattered when a Jewish family’s home—visibly adorned with Hanukkah decorations—became the apparent target of a drive-by shooting. As Israel National News reported on Sunday, the incident has sent ripples of fear through the local Jewish community and renewed urgent national conversations about the escalation of antisemitic hostility in the United States.

In case you think what happened in Bondi is just a far away problem.

This was in Redlands, California last night.

Car drove by firing shots at a home with a Chanukah display. They scream “F*ck the Jews” before driving away. pic.twitter.com/RtCSb7AfMw

— AG (@AGHamilton29) December 14, 2025

According to details confirmed by the Redlands Daily Facts and cited extensively by Israel National News, approximately 20 rounds were fired at the residence shortly after nightfall. The attack was followed by an obscenity shouted from the fleeing vehicle, a detail that investigators say reinforces the possibility that the incident was motivated by religious hatred rather than random vandalism or mischief.

The homeowner, Jonpaul Sione Yohanan Cohen, took to social media in the immediate aftermath to recount the events in chilling detail. His post, accompanied by surveillance footage from the family’s security cameras, has since circulated widely online, becoming a stark visual symbol of the vulnerability felt by many Jewish families during what is traditionally a season of light, joy, and communal pride.

“My family and I were attacked by an antisemitic shooter tonight,” Cohen wrote, in a message that Israel National News described as both anguished and resolute. He further alleged that just minutes before the shooting, he had been publicly accosted by individuals who screamed slogans including “free Palestine” coupled with a racial slur. “Three minutes later,” Cohen wrote, “our security camera caught sight of the shooter discharging at least 20 rounds from a yet unidentified projectile weapon at my family’s house and Hanukkah decorations.”

🚨 ANTISEMITIC DRIVE-BY SHOOTING. 🚨

A man drives by a home in Redlands, California and opens fire. He shouts “fuck the Jews.”

The house was decorated for Hanukkah.
It was Shabbat.
The family was home.

And the terrorist is still at large.

Anyone still minimizing Jew-hatred in… https://t.co/XoVOTHayGT pic.twitter.com/m4PiOMmq4u

— Jews Fight Back 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JewsFightBack) December 14, 2025

The Redlands Police Department responded rapidly to the reported gunfire, dispatching five patrol cruisers and a helicopter to canvass the neighborhood. Residents were advised to remain indoors as officers searched for suspects. Yet despite the scale of the response, investigators were confronted with perplexing physical evidence—or rather, the lack thereof.

As the Israel National News report detailed, police spokesman Carl Baker later stated that no shell casings were recovered at the scene. Additionally, home surveillance footage showed no visible muzzle flash. These factors led investigators to tentatively conclude that the weapon used may not have been a conventional firearm but rather an airsoft or similar projectile device.

Nevertheless, authorities have been careful not to minimize the seriousness of the incident. “The intent to intimidate or terrorize remains the same regardless of the weapon used,” one law-enforcement source told Israel National News off the record. For the family inside the home, the sound of repeated shots—real or perceived—was indistinguishable from lethal danger.

More “globalizing the intifada”

A man fired 20 gunshots into the home of a Jewish family in Redlands, California, on Saturday.

He was heard on camera yelling “F**k the Jews” as he fired bullets from his car. pic.twitter.com/uicIlaMDmJ

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) December 14, 2025

Indeed, Cohen himself has emphasized that the psychological impact of the attack far outweighs the technical classification of the weapon. “When someone fires dozens of rounds at your home while shouting hateful slogans,” he wrote, “you are not debating calibers—you are fearing for your life.”

City officials moved quickly to denounce the incident in unambiguous terms. Redlands Mayor Mario Saucedo issued a statement expressing relief that no one was physically injured while underscoring the broader implications of the attack.

“While we are relieved that no injuries occurred,” Saucedo said, as quoted by Israel National News, “it is important to reaffirm our support of our community members, no matter their faith. Violence and hatred have no place in Redlands.”

San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe echoed those sentiments, stressing that freedom of religious expression must be protected not only in principle but in practice. “No one should ever feel threatened, targeted, or unsafe because of who they are, how they worship, or how they choose to express their faith,” Rowe said, according to the Israel National News report.

Such statements, while welcomed by community leaders, come amid growing calls for stronger preventative measures. Jewish residents in Southern California have increasingly voiced concerns that condemnations, though necessary, are insufficient in the face of what they perceive as an emboldened culture of antisemitic aggression.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded forcefully to the incident, framing it within a troubling pattern of antisemitic acts across the region. In a statement cited by Israel National News, an ADL spokesperson described the shooting as “another dangerous and despicable act of violence impacting the Jewish community in Southern California.”

Last night’s shooting into the home of a Jewish family in @CityofRedlands, CA is a despicable act of antisemitic violence. Contact the Redlands Police Department at (909) 798-7681 with any information about this heinous act. pic.twitter.com/UyxehulvA7

— ADL California (@ADLCalifornia) December 13, 2025

“The sense of security in our community has, again, been shattered by the act of cowardice and hate, and that is unacceptable,” the statement continued. ADL Los Angeles confirmed that it is working directly with the Cohen family, local Jewish leaders, elected officials, and law enforcement to ensure accountability and to assess broader security needs.

Notably, the ADL emphasized that the suspect remains at large, a fact that has only intensified unease among local residents. “The suspect must be found and held accountable,” the organization stated, a demand that has become increasingly familiar in the wake of repeated antisemitic incidents nationwide.

As the Israel National News report observed, the timing of the attack—during Hanukkah and on Shabbat—adds a deeply symbolic dimension. Hanukkah is among the most publicly visible Jewish holidays, marked by the lighting of menorahs often placed in windows or on front lawns. This visibility, intended as a declaration of faith and resilience, has in recent years increasingly exposed Jewish families to harassment and violence.

“This was not an attack in spite of the Hanukkah decorations,” one Jewish community advocate told Israel National News. “It was an attack because of them.”

The incident in Redlands comes amid a broader surge in antisemitic activity in the United States, much of it tied—explicitly or implicitly—to tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. Jewish organizations have documented a rise in threats, vandalism, assaults, and shootings targeting synagogues, schools, and private homes.

While law enforcement has not yet officially classified the Redlands incident as a hate crime, the context described by Cohen—including the alleged verbal harassment immediately preceding the shooting—has intensified calls for investigators to pursue that avenue vigorously.

For the Cohen family, the attack has irrevocably altered their sense of safety. Friends and neighbors have rallied around them, offering support and assistance. Local Jewish organizations have organized security briefings and encouraged residents to report suspicious activity. Yet beneath these practical responses lies a deeper emotional toll.

“Lighting the menorah is supposed to symbolize hope,” Cohen wrote in a follow-up post shared by Israel National News. “But right now, it also feels like an act of defiance.”

That sentiment resonates widely. Across Southern California, Jewish families are grappling with whether to continue displaying religious symbols openly, a question that strikes at the heart of American ideals of pluralism and freedom.

Israel National News has situated the Redlands attack within a national and international framework, noting parallels with recent antisemitic incidents in cities across the Western world. From vandalized synagogues to violent assaults, the pattern suggests not isolated acts of prejudice but a sustained and evolving threat.

Experts warn that rhetoric—particularly slogans that blur political criticism with ethnic or religious hostility—can create an atmosphere in which violence becomes more likely. “When chants and slurs are normalized in public spaces,” one analyst told Israel National News, “they can escalate into physical attacks, especially against highly visible targets.”

As of this writing, the investigation remains ongoing. Police continue to review surveillance footage and appeal to the public for information. For the Cohen family and the broader Jewish community, the hope is not only that the perpetrators will be identified, but that the incident will prompt a deeper reckoning.

“This cannot be treated as an anomaly,” an ADL representative told Israel National News. “It must be understood as part of a wider trend that requires decisive action—from law enforcement, from political leaders, and from society as a whole.”

In Redlands, the menorah still stands, its lights flickering against the darkness. Whether those lights will remain symbols of joy or become emblems of vulnerability depends, many believe, on what happens next.