From my reading of the thread it seems that the 'mob' was incensed by the possibility of a 'transient' hostel being set up. The modern day interpretation of that word might lead the uninformed to believe that the neighbourhood was going to have an influx of what they might consider to be undesirable people - drug addicts, drunks and all those dreadful homeless people.

If there was any sort of discrimination it was against those rather that being anti-Semitic.