Outbreaks of targeted violence against Jewish people are making news around two world. There have been several such attack in just the past week. On Saturday a man attacked and tried to rob a Jewish couple who were walking to a Beverly Hills synagogue.
Raphael Nissel and his wife were walking to their Beverly Hills synagogue on Saturday morning when a man struck Nissel’s head from behind with a belt buckle.
Nissel, who wore a yarmulke, was left dazed and bloodied by the attack.
“My wife told me, ‘Watch out!’” Nissel, 75, told The Times on Sunday. “All of a sudden, something hard hit my forehead.”
The assailant turned to Nissel’s wife, Rivka and allegedly said, “Jew, give me your jewelry” but fled after Nissel gave chase.
This post by the couple’s son shows the shirt he was wearing at the time of the attack.
Here is #antisemitism vignette you won’t read about in papers. Yesterday, on way to shul, my father (75) and mother (70) were attacked. After being struck from behind on head by belt and called out as Jew, my father recomposed himself and successfully chased down perp with help… pic.twitter.com/p8ibGwpdxp
— Alan Tzvika Nissel (@atnissel) December 10, 2023
Police later arrested Jarris Jay Silagi who was booked for assault, attempted robbery and a hate crime. The victims were interviewed by KTLA 5:
Meanwhile, in New York another Jewish man was beaten up last week in the middle of the day.
Joshua Merenfeld, 40, told NBC New York he was standing outside of his building when a man walked up behind him, punched him, pushed him over, kicked him and then took his phone.
“It was a real beating,” Merenfeld said. “It wasn’t just one punch and left, it took quite a while. At least a minute of punches which is a long time for punches.”
The man who attacked Merenfeld “used a bunch of antisemitic terminology and profanities,” he said.
“Definitely doesn’t feel good to have this happen in your own front yard,” Merenfeld said.
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Here’s a local news report which includes an interview with Merenfeld:
Police released images of the suspect but it seems no one has been arrested yet.
.@NYPDTips is seeking a black male suspect who beat a Jewish man on Dec. 7 and called him a “dirty Jew.” The attack happened in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/qNu7gvlMov
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) December 8, 2023
And finally, there was a similar attack last week in London. Two young teenage girls have been arrested for the robbery and beating of a 20-year-old Jewish woman.
The victim, 20, was approached by two girls on Rostrevor Avenue who assaulted her and stole her bag at about 16.30 GMT on 7 December, the Met said.
Officers arrested two girls aged 13 and 14 at about midday on Saturday on 9 December at an address in Haringey…
“The victim is from the orthodox Jewish community. It would have been obvious from her appearance that she was Jewish and there has been significant concern that she was targeted for that reason.
There’s video of this attack
#RostrevorAttack – New video of attack (zoomed in)@Shomrim clarify that cctv & witness statements show this was a brutal #Antisemitic attack & not a robbery
Female Jewish victim was beaten unconscious, the attackers didn’t stop kicking her head even after she lost… pic.twitter.com/wEoZXcmUQX
— Shomrim (Stamford Hill) (@Shomrim) December 9, 2023
So that’s three recent attacks in less than a week. All of them seem to be targeting visibly Jewish people for beatings/robberies.
