Witnesses testify, video of man insulting preschoolers and parents at Oakland County synagogue

BLOOMFIELD TWP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Witnesses who were subjected to antisemitic slurs hurled at children at a Jewish daycare testified in court on Monday as the man accused of making those threats appeared in court for a hearing.

On Monday, cell phone video of Hassan Chokr riding through the parking lot of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Twp was played in court. The video was graphic and contained many insults and foul language including "F--- you Israel".

It was all cell phone video shot and posted online by Chokr himself as he's leaving the synagogue on Dec. 2.

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One of the witnesses that day, Julie Kramer, was dropping off her young child at the preschool when it happened.

"I froze, I panicked I feared for my life I feared for my daughter’s lives. I didn’t know what was happening in that moment," Kramer said. "I was so shook by the entire incident we updated the security system on our house it was it really shook me to my core."

Chokr's attorney alluded that the threats were not directed at the mom.

"Yeah, they were offensive. We don’t condone this conduct - it's reprehensible. As to what he said but it’s not criminal," attorney Nabih Ayad said.

His family sayd Chokr suffers from mental illness and has been in and out of psychiatric care.

Temple security guard Juwan Jones took the stand too and testified that he felt threatened when he asked Chokr to leave.

"What are you going to do if I don’t keep moving," Chokr allegedly said in the video.

Jones said he heard Chokr say "you are all going to die".

Video was also played that showed Chokr referring to at least one parent as the "mother of the devil."

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After leaving the synagogue, Chokr - he's a convicted felon - tried to buy a gun at a Dearborn gun store. But his attornesaid he knew he'd get denied but trying to test his constitutional limits.

"It’s statements, statements are never a threat just statements now if he was holding a gun brandishing a gun that’s a whole different story," Ayad said.

A decision on whether Chokr will head to trial was not made on Monday. The district court judge will make that decision on Jan. 5.