Jewish man punched on Berlin street, one of 3 antisemitic incidents reported in German capital
(JTA) — In one of three antisemitic incidents in Berlin, a Jewish man wearing a kippah was punched in the face while antisemitic slurs were hurled at him.
In Ukraine, meanwhile, a swastika was spray-painted on a synagogue, while in Spain, white supremacist and anti-Israel symbols were spray-painted on the gate of a Jewish cemetery.
European cities have seen a spike in antisemitic incidents since the start of new fighting between Israel and Hamas earlier this month. Despite a ceasefire, the number of antisemitic acts has not abated.
In the assault in Berlin, three men harassed the Jewish man, 41, on Saturday night in Schöneberg Dürer Square, in the German capital’s south, Taggespiel reported, before one punched him. The victim was not seriously injured.
The previous day, a group of young men were seen chanting antisemitic slogans against Jews on Helmhotz Square in the northern neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. Police are investigating both incidents.
On Monday, police arrested an inebriated man who had kicked people at a subway station while shouting antisemitic insults.
In southern Ukraine, a rabbi in Nikolayev discovered the large swastika upon arriving at the synagogue on Saturday.
“There is otherwise no signs of hostility to Jews and the community’s feeling safe,” Rabbi Sholom Gotlib told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Wednesday.
In Spain, a crossed-out Star of David and the words “f—king Israel” were discovered on the gate of the Jewish cemetery of Hoyo de Manzanares, north of Madrid, Tele Madric reported.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO