NYC Nurse Fired for Times Square Antisemitic Assault
The woman, identified as Jennifer Koonings, was filmed shouting insults at a group of Israelis sitting together in the busy Manhattan plaza. In the footage, she can be heard yelling profanities, calling the tourists “baby killers,” and accusing them of crimes in Gaza.
A New York City nurse was fired after a video showing her verbally harassing Israeli tourists in Times Square went viral on social media.
The woman, identified as Jennifer Koonings, was filmed shouting insults at a group of Israelis sitting together in the busy Manhattan plaza. In the footage, she can be heard yelling profanities, calling the tourists “baby killers,” and accusing them of crimes in Gaza.
Koonings also told the group, “We don’t want you here,” and repeatedly referred to them as “terrorists” and “disgusting,” while continuing to shout as they remained seated.
During the incident, a bystander dressed as Spider-Man, one of the area’s well-known costumed street performers, intervened and told Koonings to stop harassing the group. “You don’t need to harass people,” he said, adding that she did not know anything about the individuals she was targeting.
Koonings responded by insisting she knew they were Israeli and continued her verbal attack, at one point telling the bystander to “shut up” before resuming her shouting.
Following the spread of the video online, Koonings’ employer, Inspire Mental Health Services, a Manhattan-based provider specializing in mental health care, terminated her employment.
According to her now-removed profile on the organization’s website, Koonings worked primarily with adult women, including those dealing with trauma related to abuse.
Reports also indicated that Koonings had previously been involved in anti-Israel activism. In 2024, she appeared on Iran’s Press TV during a hunger strike protesting the war in Gaza.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions and a documented rise in antisemitic incidents in New York City and other major urban centers, particularly in connection with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.