On Aug. 19, Joseph Amr Khairy Abdalla was convicted of assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and sentenced to 10 years in prison. His sentence was suspended to one year served in prison and two years of probation after his incarceration, according to Head of School Rabbi Mitch Malkus. If Abdalla violates his probation, he will then have to serve the remaining 9 years of his sentence. Abdalla was arrested outside of Lower School campus on Thursday, June 12, on charges of assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.
Abdalla, who was working at CESJDS through the traveling martial arts vendor Kyle’s Karate, was stopped by an off-duty police officer employed by JDS for security after repeatedly circling the parking lot and returning to the pick-up area. When directed away, he came back and refused to stop when asked. Abdalla then drove through traffic cones in the carpool line and into lanes with oncoming vehicles before finally stopping, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.
Once the vehicle was stopped, Abdalla would not leave the car or identify himself or explain his purpose at the school. Officers attempted to remove him from the vehicle, but he resisted and became combative. During the altercation, a pocketknife fell from Abdalla’s pocket. The Lower School immediately initiated a shelter-in-place protocol for roughly 20 minutes while officers secured the scene, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. Joy Bernstein, the mother of a second-grade student, observed and filmed the altercation.
“Obviously what goes through your mind is ‘What is going on here? And what are we avoiding?’ And thankfully, the police are here,” Bernstein said.
According to Malkus, Abdalla has a diagnosed mental illness, which was later considered in his sentencing. After serving one year in jail, Abdalla will be required to comply with his probation conditions, including a ban on weapons, mandatory mental health and substance abuse treatment, 50 hours of community service, no contact with witnesses, officers or the school and completion of anti-bias training, according to Malkus. Any violation of these conditions could result in serving the remaining nine years of his sentence.
Since the event took place, Malkas has updated the communication protocol so that the school will now send out in the initial email that anyone who has more information (a video or eyewitness account) should come forward to ensure that the school discloses all of the information.
“In this day and age, even if parents don’t tell you, someone’s going to take a video of things. So when we first communicated, we didn’t have the full information,” Malkus said. “Now, when we have these incidents, we’ll automatically say we’ll share more as we get additional information.”
Bernstein, who was two cars behind Abdalla in the carpool line, recorded a five-minute video of the confrontation on her phone. The footage captured the officers repeatedly ordering Abdalla to identify himself, his refusal, his verbal outburst (including calling the officers “terrorists”) and the eventual physical struggle that ensued. At one point, the suspect could be heard shouting “you f–ing Jewish b–tches.”
Bernstein later testified in court, where her video was played for the judge. She was asked to testify about what she saw and to confirm the authenticity of the video. At several points, she had to leave the courtroom while the defense argued over whether the footage could be admitted as evidence, before being called back in to answer more questions.
“Unless you are directly impacted by what has happened, it’s very rare that you can say something [in court],” Bernstein said. “Even though I wasn’t a victim, the judge allowed me to give an impact statement because it happened at our school, and because it was our community. I wasn’t really talking for myself, I was talking on behalf of the parents, the children and the community.”
Bernstein praised the professionalism of the officers who responded, noting that they remained calm and did not use excessive force despite the tense situation. She noted that one of the officers was even injured during the struggle, with burns on his knees from the hot asphalt. After the incident, JDS parents came together to show their appreciation, sending meals to the officers’ precincts as a thank-you for protecting the school community.
“The police were incredible, absolutely professional and did what they had to do to keep us safe,” Bernstein said. “Our community appreciates them beyond words.”
Although the prosecution determined the incident was not premeditated and did not rise to the level of a hate crime, the suspect did make antisemitic statements during and after the altercation, according to Malkus. In sentencing, the judge ordered Abdalla to complete anti-bias training as part of his probation, emphasizing that incidents targeting schools threaten the entire community and must be addressed through both punishment and rehabilitation.
Malkus said that in the aftermath of the incident, the school conducted a review of its security protocols. Vendor screening processes were reviewed and confirmed to be in line with school standards. Abdalla passed through JDS’ background check before working at the school; however, his mental health illness would not have been reported in the background check.
Since Oct. 7, Malkus said that the school has made physical and procedural upgrades, such as adding a fence around the school, hiring its own security staff rather than outsourcing and training security staff in being welcoming and friendly. He emphasized the importance of balancing safety with creating a space where students feel comfortable and supported. Head of Security Herbie Epstein emphasized that training staff has been a continuous priority for the school.
“Every situation is different, and flexibility is critical in responding effectively. I’m proud of how our staff responded, adapting quickly and handling the circumstances with professionalism,” Epstein said in an email interview.
