Two ultra-Orthodox youths were placed under house arrest Saturday evening, accused of spitting at and cursing a Catholic priest on Mount Zion.
The alleged assault, which was caught on video, came on the same day that a letter from Pope Francis to the Jewish population of Israel condemning all forms of anti-Judaism and antisemitism was made public.
“If we have gained any steps forward with Pope Francis and his amazing words denouncing antisemitism, [it has been offset by] having Jews spitting [on Catholic clergy] that very day and saying horrible words that are recorded. They should be seriously punished. But it doesn’t work that way,” said Yisca Harani, activist and founder of the Religious Freedom Data Center and Hotline.
Two Israeli Jews have just been filmed spitting on a Christian clergy, in Jerusalem’s Old City. This is a latest in a series of such incidents. It is an ancient tradition to spit on, or near, Christian priests, which is still practiced by some today. #Gaza #GazaGenocide #Israel pic.twitter.com/7Z39LaQF0U
— Lens Veritatis (@LensVeritatis) February 4, 2024
Orthodox community hatred that hurts Israeli society in return
“Now, when we are being demonized all over the world, this is another ‘nail in the coffin.’ It should be explained in all the ultra-Orthodox and Orthodox communities that this is the worst way at this moment to hurt Israeli society. If incidents like this were harming us before, at this moment, this is 100 percent harming us.”
The hotline, founded last June and which is manned around the clock by civilian volunteers, is open for reports of harassment and destruction of property for all Christians. The reports are then submitted to the police for follow-up, and volunteers accompany the complainants through the process.
In videos posted on social media, one of the arrested youths can be seen coming up to Father Nikodemus Schnabel, the abbot of Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion, as he and a companion are walking past Zion Gate chatting and smiling. The young man is then caught on video spitting at Schnabel and saying an expletive about Jesus.
In a second video, the same young man curses Schnabel and tries to prevent him from taking a video of him. He then threatens and curses a local man who comes to defend the priest.
Other religious youth come by, and while one, who is carrying a rifle, tries to guide them away, another young man turns and shouts an expletive about Jesus toward the priest.
“The Israel Police remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the safety of residents, worshipers, and visitors in the Old City of Jerusalem, encompassing individuals from all religions and backgrounds. Any harm inflicted upon an individual based on their religion, faith, or any other motive will be addressed promptly and with zero tolerance. The police will persist in taking action against anyone attempting to disrupt the way of life, public peace, and personal security in the Old City and beyond,” the police stated.
They said that police officers were able to successfully identify and apprehend one of the suspects – a 17-year-old resident of Jerusalem – on suspicion of committing the offense against Schnabel. A second suspect was also arrested at his residence last night and brought in for questioning. Following police interrogation, both suspects were placed under house arrest, and the investigation into their case remains ongoing, the police said.Harani called placing the suspects under house arrest “ridiculous."
"It is returning them to the community which applauds them,” she said.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the representative of the Vatican, which administers to the local Catholic community in Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, and Cyprus, condemned the “unprovoked and shameful assault” in a statement.
“The prosecution of the perpetrators of such hate crimes is an important tool for deterrence and for enhancing the sense of security of the Christian clergy in the Holy Land, particularly in Jerusalem,” the patriarchate said.
Schnabel, who is well-known for his support for dialogue and co-existence, has been the target of such spitting attacks numerous times in the past, including one just before October 7 and a previous incident in July, when he was instructed by an employee of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the ultra-Orthodox state-run body which administers the site, to hide his pectoral cross when he accompanied a German cabinet member in a visit to the Western Wall. The foundation later issued a statement apologizing for any distress caused by the request but defending the employee's request.
“The same evening, I was praying for these people. I always am praying for the perpetrators, this is part of my DNA as a Christian,” said the German abbot of the recent incident. “I hope the police will take this issue more seriously because as we as Christians are extremely aware of the rising problem of antisemitism, I would be more happy if the Jewish population of Israel would be more aware of the rising problem of Christian hate attacks.
“This would be my desire, that we are together fighting antisemitism, Christian hate, and Muslim hate, and that it not be the hooligans of religion who have the main part in the religious landscape but rather the God-seekers.”
Previous harassment of Christian clergy
Incidents of harassment of Christian clergy and vandalism of Christian property had spiked in the months before the war, and though reports of such acts were reduced following October 7, Harani said that was due to reduced visitor flow in the Old City, where most of the attacks take place and fewer tour guides being present in the Old City to document such attacks.
The data center’s report for October-December listed six incidents, including spitting, interference with a religious procession, large graffiti with offensive sensitivity about Jesus on Mount Zion and in the Mamilla/Tzahal Square area, and the erasure of cross symbols on signs pointing to churches in Abu Ghosh. The incidents were all reported to the relevant authorities, including the police, Jerusalem Municipality, and the Israel Highways Authority.
Harani said she had also just filed a report with the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel, protesting the erasure of the names of Mary and John the Baptist on signs above the Ein Kerem Spring in Jerusalem.
“I noticed it yesterday. It needs to be fixed very quickly before it goes [on social media] again,” she said. The sign in Abu Ghosh has already been repaired, she said.
In the report, the Data Center warned that there may be an increasing trend in incidents against Christians as the war continues, among other reasons, because of “the creation of a false understanding correlating Hamas and Christians as enemies of the people of Israel, an idea that is evident from the incidents in this report.
“Unfortunately, those radical Jews are associating the enemy, which is Hamas, with Christians,” said Harani, noting that the association manifested itself in two occurrences of graffiti: one where it was written that Jesus is worse than Hamas and another on the same wall where the name of Jesus was written next to the word Hamas.
“It is important for me that people know that the hotline is there and that civil society is continuing to be there to report the incidents,” she said. “The police understood they must be taken seriously.”
The president of the Conference of European Rabbis warns: "Attack on Priest in Jerusalem Provides Additional Incentive for Violent Assaults and Anti-Semitic Incidents."
The president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, stated: "The attack on the priest in Jerusalem's Old City is a reward for bigotry and provides additional incentive for violent attacks and anti-Semitic incidents against Jews in Europe and the diaspora. We are pleased that the police intervened promptly, apprehending the perpetrators. Tolerance towards believers in religious ceremonies in Israel is at an unprecedented low. Since October 7th, Jewish communities across Europe are under immediate threat. It is the responsibility of the authorities in Israel to act to prevent such incidents that significantly impact the security of Jews in the diaspora."