Israeli Tourist, 19, Attacked in Berlin in Possible Antisemitic Incident
An Israeli tourist was attacked by three men in Berlin on Saturday evening, August 5, with German media reporting Sunday that the police were looking into a possible antisemitic motive.
Yonatan Yisraeli, 19, told Israeli media that he was walking to the supermarket in the cityâs Kreuzberg district with a good friend, âand suddenly a car pulled up beside us.â
Yisraeli said that the passengers asked them something in German, and they responded in English that they were not from Berlin. âSuddenly, two seconds later they started hitting us, hitting me,â he recounted. âI fell on the floor, I didnât understand what was happening,â he added.
âI think that they were Arab, but I couldnât say for sure,â he added. âWhen they were done they got in the car and blasted music that I think was in Arabic.â Yisraeli said he believes that they were singled out for attack because the pair were speaking Hebrew on the phone. âWe were speaking in Hebrew, not quietly.â
Yisraeli was taken to a nearby hospital with light injuries to his arm and face, and the pair then alerted police.
Similar hateful incidents happen daily in other parts of the world as well; Jews reportedly remain the primary target of hate crimes in Canada compared to other religious groups and in the UK, online antisemitic incidents skyrocketed by 37% during the first half of 2023. (TOI / VFI News)
âLord, we ask for Your protection over the Jewish people around the world. We pray that antisemitic attacks worldwide are prevented. We pray for the full recuperation of the young Israeli tourist and we ask that Israelis and Jews will not walk in fear for their lives.â