An Israeli tourist was beaten by three individuals in Berlin-Kreuzberg on Saturday evening, according to the German media news organization Jüdische Allgemeine.
The tourist, who is 19 years old, was accompanied by another Israeli tourist, 18 years old. The younger Israeli was unharmed during the incident.
According to the police, the pair of Israelis were walking together while one of them spoke on the phone in Hebrew.At this point, a car pulled up alongside the Israeli teens, and three men exited the vehicle.
One of the men attempted to speak to the older of the two Israelis in German. The Israeli teen, however, did not speak German. One of the men then hit him, causing him to fall.
While he was on the ground, all three men reportedly proceeded to hit and kick the Israeli teen.
The three men returned to their vehicle and drove away, leaving the Israeli tourist with arm and face injuries.Later, the teens reported the incident to the police from a local hospital.
German authorities have begun investigating the incident and are considering that there were antisemitic motivations for the attack.
Wir haben ein Problem. Und dieses Problem ist so groß. Zynisch gesprochen: Als jüdische Zeitung könnten wir eine Rubrik unter dem Motto „Attackierte Juden“ aufmachen. Die Inhalte würden uns nie ausgehen. Es ist beschämend und traurig. Eine Schande. https://t.co/9UhHItPJWn
— Philipp Peyman Engel (@PhilippPeyman) August 6, 2023
“We have a problem. And this problem is so big. To put it cynically: As a Jewish newspaper, we could open a column under the motto ‘Jews Attacked,’” Jüdische Allgemeine journalist Philipp Peyman Engel wrote in a post on Twitter. “We would never run out of content. It’s shameful and sad. A shame.”
Israel's ambassador to Germany weighs in
Additionally, the Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor, who was recently kicked out of a Berlin café due to his association with the Israeli government, also took to Twitter.
“Another Israeli is brutally attacked in the German capital. This is unacceptable!” Prosor tweeted. “Israelis and Jews should not feel unsafe walking the streets of Berlin or any other German city. The German authorities must take every measure to stop these attacks and incitement against Israel and Jews before it is too late.”