Avreich Attacked by Arabs Near Old City Sues City

A 28-year-old avreich was brutally attacked two weeks ago as he waited for a ride near the Old City of Yerushalayim. The attackers were Arabs, who yelled anti-Semitic slogans while they attacked the avreich and a companion.

The avreich is being represented by attorney Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu legal rights organization. In a letter to police officials, Bleicher portrayed the attack that took place two weeks ago. The man waited for a ride home in the early evening hours at the Givati parking lot near the Old City. The attackers approached him in a vehicle and blocked the street with it. They emerged from the vehicle and began yelling and threatening the avreich, eventually pelting him with blows. The attackers also threatened passersby, who were helpless in the face of the attack. Several bystanders called the police, and the attackers returned to their vehicle and sped away.

B’chasdei Shamayim, the avreich was not seriously hurt. He filed a complaint with the police, and several witnesses came forward to back up his claims. “My client was beaten for no reason other than because of his Jewish appearance. As a result of the attack, my client suffered from wounds and dizziness for several days after the attack.”

Bleicher demanded quick police action, and classification of the attack as a racist attack. “Attacks against Jews in the public sphere are unfortunately an ongoing phenomenon, and it must be stamped out at all costs. The first step is for police to stop at nothing to catch these anti-Semites, and the second stage is to try and punish these criminals with the full force of the law. We in Honenu will continue to exert pressure on the authorities to punish them, and we will file civil lawsuits against them as well,” Bleicher said in the letter.