Carlos Portugal Gouvea, an associate professor at the University of Law in Sao Paulo, was arrested in Massachusetts after he fired a compressed air gun near the Beth Zion temple, one day before Yom Kippur. The incident was reported as an "antisemitic armed incident" by the Trump administration, although local authorities stated that it was not motivated by antisemitism. Gouvea claimed he was using the gun to hunt squirrels. He agreed to plead guilty and received six months of probation, while other charges were dropped.
His arrest took place in the context of pressures on Harvard to combat antisemitism on campus. Representatives of the temple emphasized that Gouvea was not aware of his proximity to the synagogue and the religious holiday.
Sources