Police in the German capital of Berlin are investigating a potential antisemitic incident that occurred over the weekend in which an Israeli tourist was assaulted.
The incident took place on Saturday night in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. Yonatan Yisraeli, 19, was walking to a supermarket with an 18-year-old female friend while talking Hebrew on a phone when a car pulled up next to them. Three males got out and began speaking in German to Yisraeli, who did not understand the language.
One of the assailants then suddenly knocked him to the ground, and all three beat and kicked him before returning to their vehicle and fleeing the scene.
Yisraeli suffered a minor arm injury and was treated at a hospital. The woman was unharmed.
“דיברנו בעברית ותוך כמה שניות התחילו להרביץ לי”: צעיר ישראלי בן 19 הותקף בברלין. במשטרה בודקים אם המניע אנטישמי#מהדורתחמש עם @mayarachlin pic.twitter.com/b32ylYsXJI
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 6, 2023
The Berlin Police said its State Protection Office, which handles politically-motivated crimes, was dealing with the case.
In an post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor called the attack “unacceptable.”
“Israelis and Jews should not feel unsafe walking the streets of Berlin or any other German city,” Prosor said. “German authorities must take all measures possible to stop the attacks and incitement against Israel and Jews before it is too late.”
Ein weiterer Israeli wird in der deutschen Hauptstadt brutal angegriffen. Das ist inakzeptabel!
Israelis und Juden sollten sich in den Straßen von Berlin oder jeder anderen deutschen Stadt nicht unsicher fühlen. Die deutschen Behörden müssen jede Maßnahme ergreifen, um diese… pic.twitter.com/k1jeOQiWdj— Ambassador Ron Prosor (@Ron_Prosor) August 6, 2023
German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert commented, “This is disgusting, hopefully these thugs get caught. It’s unbearable that something like this can happen to a young Jew in Berlin.”
Das ist widerwärtig, hoffentlich werden diese Schläger geschnappt. Unerträglich, dass einem jungen Juden so etwas in Berlin geschehen kann. https://t.co/8gBRbSSyoV
— Steffen Seibert (@GerAmbTLV) August 6, 2023
According to data compiled by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, the number of violent antisemitic crimes in the country rose nearly 40% in 2022.
A total of 88 such incidents were recorded in 2022, up from 63 in 2021.
The Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) tallied 2,480 antisemitic incidents overall in Germany in 2022, an average of nearly seven per day.
