Alex Sinclair had no idea what would follow when he posted a picture of his mutilated kippah to Facebook on Thursday. The incident, in which a kippah was cut by police in Israel, quickly drew widespread attention and reaction.
What happened
Sinclair, who lives in central Israel, described being detained by police officers who told him that his kippah, which had both the Israeli and Palestinian flags woven in, was illegal. When he was released from their custody, he was allowed to take his kippah home, but only after the Palestinian flag was cut out, leaving him with roughly half a head-covering.
To Sinclair, a British-born writer and educator whose books include “Loving the Real Israel: An Educational Agenda for Liberal Zionism,” the situation was galling, and not just because he had been accused of breaking a law that does not exist.
“She’d taken my possession, a religious ritual object, something that is very dear to my heart, and destroyed it,” he wrote about the officer who returned his kippah. He added, “That was it. I walked home, shaken, angry, depressed.”
The reaction
A day after publishing his account, Sinclair said he had not heard from anyone in the government about his Facebook post or the complaint he filed.
But the public response was immediate.
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He received offers of legal aid, calls from politicians and support from activists. His phone began ringing with media requests, and a rally was even planned outside the police station where he was detained.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Sinclair said.
The Israel Police acknowledged the incident, saying a man had been detained and later released “following a clarification process.”
A deeper tension
The incident comes amid a broader crackdown on Palestinian symbols in public spaces, with critics accusing authorities of overreach and intimidation.
For Sinclair, the reaction wasn’t only about the act itself, but what it might signal.
“If we are looking ahead,” he said, “oh my God, is this what is in store for us?”
Others echoed similar concerns, even when they disagreed with his message.
“While I don’t agree with your choice of kippa, I do agree you have every right to wear it,” one commenter wrote.
What it represents
The image of the altered kippah resonated widely, tapping into long-standing sensitivities about religious expression and historical memory.
Some saw it as part of a broader struggle over identity, democracy and the future direction of Israeli society.
“We’re in a struggle between these two versions of Judaism and versions of Zionism,” Sinclair said.
For now, the moment has left him searching for something more immediate as well: a replacement.
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