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<\/a><\/p>\nFive Jewish children were shot with pellet guns at Shawnee Park in Skokie, Illinois on Oct. 7, 2025. (Google Streetview)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The incident took place on Oct. 7, the first day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Shawnee Park, which is located blocks from a number of the town\u2019s Orthodox synagogues.<\/p>\n
It occurred when five children between the ages of 8 and 13, were approached by another group of children who asked if they were Jewish, according to the Chicago Jewish Alliance, an advocacy group that has taken an aggressive stance against antisemitism in Chicagoland.<\/p>\n
When the children replied that they were Jewish, the group of roughly 20 assailants, who were between the ages of 12 and 14, then allegedly shouted \u201cf\u2014k Israel\u201d and \u201cyou are baby killers so we are going to kill you\u201d at the children and shot gel gun pellets from a recreational gun at them, according to a Facebook post by Daniel and Robyn Burgher Ackerman, the parents of a 13-year-old girl who was among the victims.<\/p>\n
The Ackermans posted what they said was their first public account of the incident on Thursday, after an investigation by the town was completed. The Village of Skokie said this week that police had responded to the scene on Oct. 7, where the children alleged to have participated in the incident were identified and interviewed and a police report was filed.<\/p>\n
The case was \u201cclosed\u201d following the investigation\u2019s conclusion, according to the Village of Skokie. It did not name any actions it was taking in response but said the incident had been documented and shared with the Human Relations Commission, which would later issue a recommendation based on its findings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no place for hate in Skokie,\u201d said Mayor Ann Tennes in a statement. \u201cOur community has long been built on respect, inclusion and care for one another. The Village remains committed to standing against antisemitism and all forms of bias, and to ensuring that Skokie continues to be a safe and welcoming place for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Skokie Park District said it had been made aware of the incident only this week. \u201cWe do not tolerate racist remarks or acts of violence in our parks,\u201d it said in a statement issued Thursday. \u201cWe are prepared to work with the Village of Skokie\u2019s Human Relations Commission and the Skokie Police Department as part of a community-wide effort to address this hateful occurrence and prevent these behaviors in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ackermans and the Chicago Jewish Alliance say they are concerned that the incident is not being treated with the appropriate urgency, citing a lack of evidence of any disciplinary action against the children who participated.<\/p>\n
In a post on Facebook Friday, the Skokie Police Department addressed community members\u2019 \u201cfrustration and concerns\u201d with the incident, saying that although details available to the public were limited because the perpetrators were minors, it had been classified as a hate crime.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the antisemitic statements demonstrating bias as a likely motivator in the battery involving the gel blaster, the Department has classified this incident as a hate crime,\u201d the post read. \u201cThis classification was made upon the Department\u2019s initial investigation into this incident on October 7.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police said that one minor had reported being struck in the leg by a gel pellet, and that while the investigation into the incident has concluded, the resolution of this incident is ongoing.<\/p>\n
Following the police announcement, the Chicago Jewish Alliance shifted the focus of a planned appearance at the Village of Skokie Board meeting on Nov. 3 to demand increased transparency between law enforcement and the Skokie community, according to Daniel Schwartz, the group\u2019s president.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we appreciate this overdue recognition, it is important to reflect on why it required public outcry to reach this point. The classification of a hate crime should never depend on media coverage or community pressure. It should be immediate, transparent, and guided by moral clarity,\u201d wrote Schwartz in a statement.<\/p>\n
He said that during the assault, the assailants allegedly told the victims that they would \u201cget a real gun and kill you Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schwartz, who referred to the incident as a \u201cpogrom on the playground,\u201d said the incident had \u201creally disturbed\u201d the local Jewish community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this hits a nerve, because it happened on Oct. 7, it happened to children, it happened to children in Skokie, Illinois, which has a very dense Jewish population, and then the municipality itself, similar to what we saw in 1940s Germany, was almost like \u2014 there was just no justice or repercussion,\u201d said Schwartz.<\/p>\n
He added that the parents of the victims of the attack are also seeking legal counsel over the incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was not \u2018kids being kids.\u2019 This was a targeted, violent antisemitic attack on Jewish minors- in their synagogue dresses on a Jewish holiday,\u201d the Ackermans wrote. \u201cThe fact that it happened on October 7th\u2014exactly two years after the October 7, 2023 massacre of Jews in Israel\u2014makes it even more chilling.\u201d<\/p>\n