Jewish Man Attacked in Berlin
German authorities are investigating after a Jewish man was attacked as he walked in Berlin.
Police said Wednesday that the 55-year-old victim was walking Tuesday in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district when he was pushed to the ground from behind by two assailants. The victim was wearing clothing identifying him as Jewish at the time of the attack, police added.
According to AP, the victim is a rabbi, identified by the daily Bild as Jan Aaron Hammel. Hammel told Bild that the suspects insulted him in Arabic before attacking him.
The victim is being treated at the hospital after feeling pains in his head and leg, police said.
The attack comes weeks after Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, rabbi of Berlin’s Jewish community, was confronted by two Arabic-speaking men who spit on him and called him anti-Semitic names.
“Unfortunately we have to state that the aggressions against Jews have developed a life of their own both in the schoolyards and on the streets of Berlin,” Rabbi Teichtal later commented.
“But I remain convinced that most people in Berlin do not want to accept this aggression against Jews as a sad part of everyday Jewish life. Most people in Berlin want Jewish people to be able to live their Judaism openly without being afraid of being insulted, spat at or even beaten. Of course we will not hide now, but continue to build on love, tolerance, dialogue and education.”
