Berlin - A rabbi in the German capital Berlin was insulted and
spat at by two Arabic-speaking men last weekend, the Jewish Community
of Berlin said Wednesday.
Yehuda Teichtal, Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Berlin, was walking
home after conducting a service at a synagogue in the western
district of Wilmersdorf with his son when he was assaulted by the two
men.
The police division responsible for religiously-motivated crimes has
opened an investigation after the rabbi filed criminal charges.
Teichtal said the Jewish community had noted an uptick in
anti-Semitic aggression.
"Aggression against Jews in school yards and on the streets of Berlin
have developed a life of their own," he said, according to police.
"However, I continue to be convinced that most people in Berlin will
not accept this aggression towards Jews as a sad part of Jewish
everyday life," he said.
The head of the Jewish Community in Berlin, Gideon Joffe, said this
incident was further proof of "how important it is to strengthen the
fight against anti-Semitism with more practical measures."
He called for more plain clothes police officers to help protect Jews
on their way to and from synagogue.