Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld of Washington, DC. Photo: Screenshot

Anti-Israel activists who falsely accused a Washington, DC rabbi of stalking were directed to pay his $182,000 of legal bills, according to a recent ruling by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld — who is the former rabbi at Ohev Shalom synagogue and current Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Elimelech in Washington, DC — was falsely accused of stalking two anti-Israel activists in mid-2024 after he prayed outside the Israeli embassy for the hostages taken by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. The activists were seeking a restraining order against Herzfeld.

Atefeh Rochvand and Hazami Barmada staged a months-long protest outside of the embassy, and Herzfeld arrived at the facility three times during their protest. One time was to pray for the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, and two other times were to observe the protests and make comments toward those conducting them.

While Herzfeld was there to pray, an anti-Israel group harassed him — crowding near him, waving flags in his face, and blaring sirens, according to video circulated on social media. They also called him a Nazi.

DC rabbi harassed by pro-Palestinian protesters while praying for hostages wins $182K
***
Judge orders pro-Palestinian activists to pay damages to Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld after falsely accusing him of harassment during his prayer vigil for Israeli hostages outside the embassy in… pic.twitter.com/bcdsUn2Daf

— Ynetnews (@ynetnews) April 7, 2025

“It was the loudest outdoor scene I’ve ever seen in my life, it was ear-splitting, it was deafening,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “I never saw anything like that in DC.”

The petitioners never alleged that Herzfeld tried to contact or interacted with them on any other occasions. According to the ruling, they even referred to his presence as “hilarious” while he was there.

Videos submitted to the court contradicted the stalking claims that Rochvand and Barmada made against Herzfeld.

“There is no evidence that Respondent [Herzfeld] ever threatened the Petitioners [Rochvand and Barmada],” the ruling read. “There is no evidence that he ever followed, monitored or placed them under surveillance. The only times he ever saw them was at the location of the protests on three occasions (only two with regard to Ms. Rokhvand).”

It continued, “The evidence suggests that his presence on those occasions was not an attempt to locate Petitioners or any other particular individuals; he was going to the embassy to pray, observe the protests and at times (March 21 and May 2) make his own comments regarding the protests.”

Nevertheless, Rochvand and Barmada wrote in a comment to The Daily Wire that they “were shocked by the tone and findings outlined in the subsequent order granting outrageous legal fees. Albeit ultimately deemed ‘protected speech,’ the evidence at trial showed Rabbi Herzfeld and his cohorts, on multiple occasions, came inappropriately close to females and made offensive and vile remarks to intimidate them.”

One of these comments, they said, was when Herzfeld asked them, “Why do you support the raping of innocent women?” — likely referring to the gender-based sexual violence that took place during Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack across southern Israel.

The judge commented, “The Petitioners may very well have been offended by what the Respondent said on May 2, just as the Respondent was likely offended when Petitioner Barmada called him a Nazi and a supporter of terrorizing children on March 21, 2024.” He concluded, “These comments, while offensive, are constitutionally protected.”

Due to the false nature of the anti-Israel activists’ claims, the court ruled they had to pay Herzfeld’s legal fees, which were $182,000.

In the interview with Fox News Digital, Herzfeld spoke about his experience during the ordeal.

“It was Shabbos, my parents were over, and my children were there, and I come home from prayers. And my wife was, you know, horrified that police had – she said police came to our door and they left and they – and they gave me, you know, this temporary restraining order,” Herzfeld said.

Fox reported that Herzfeld “said it was highly stressful and was extremely embarrassed at the thought that his neighbors, who saw police arrive at his door, could have thought there was merit to the case.”

It went on to explain how he dealt with the stress of the trial. “I was reciting Psalm 121 to myself, ‘I lift up my eyes to the mountains from where will come my help,'” he said.

“I was reciting Psalm 132 [sic] to myself from the depths to – you know, to God as a prayer – ‘From the depths I call out to you, Please, God, answer me.'”