Jewish Siblings Assaulted And Stabbed In Melbourne

The flag of Australia. Image by Wikimedia

By JTA May 21, 2018

(JTA) — A brother and sister in their 20s dressed in identifiably Jewish clothing were assaulted and stabbed in Melbourne, Australia.

The attack occurred on Saturday night in a residential neighborhood, according to the Australian Jewish News.

The brother, 22, was hit on the head and his sister, 25, was stabbed in the shoulder and in the cheek, according to the report. The assailant, who was dressed in black, did not say anything before, during or after the attack.

“The community has been asked to ensure they walk in large groups, avoid dark or dimly lit areas, and do not gather outside venues,” the newspaper reported.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman told the local Herald Sun newspaper that the incident will be investigated, but that there was no evidence to suggest the victims were intentionally targeted.

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.

In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.

At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.

Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO