Rabbi and six-year-old daughter attacked in Berlin
A 53-year-old Jewish man and his six-year-old daughter
have become victims of an anti-Semitic attack in downtown Berlin which was
reportedly committed by four youth of Arab origin.
The man had to be brought to
hospital with wounds at his head.
Reportedly, one of the youth asked the man,
who wore a kippah: "Are you a Jew?" He then hit him on the head
several times and insulted his religion and his mother. He also threatened to
kill the six-year-old girl. According to the Jewish weekly 'Jüdische
Allgemeine', the victim is a Berlin rabbi.
A special unit of Berlin police has begun investigations
and said the incident would be treated as hate crime.
Berlin Mayor Klaus
Wowereit condemned the attack. He said: "Berlin is an international city
in which intolerance, xenophobia and anti-Semitsm are not being tolerated.
Police will undertake all efforts to find and arrest the perpetrators."
The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany,
Dieter Graumann, said in a reaction: "This despicable attack on Jews in
the middle of our capital is outrageous and shocking. It is not just an evil
attack on Jewry in Germany but an attack against all of us, and against our
common values of tolerance and liberalism. It must not be downplayed. However,
we Jews won't be intimidated by such callous attacks. We will continue
vigorously to build our Jewish future in this country." Graumann expressed
confidence that Berlin police would soon catch the perpetrators.
Comments
Post a Comment