Tourist was walking on Berlin street speaking on his phone in Hebrew when a car pulled up and three men got out.
By United with Israel Staff and Associated Press
A 19-year-old Israeli tourist said he was attacked by three men in Berlin and police said Sunday they were investigating a possible antisemitic motive.
Berlin police said their state protection office, which is responsible for investigating politically motivated crimes, was looking into the case after the tourist suffered minor injuries to one of his arms and his face Saturday night.
The Israeli tourist told police he was walking on a street in the city’s Kreuzberg district together with an 18-year-old woman while speaking on his phone in Hebrew.
A car pulled up next to them and three men got out and started talking to the Israeli man in German, which he explained to police he did not understand as he does not speak German.
After that, the Israeli man told police that one of the men suddenly began to beat him, knocking him to the ground. The three attackers then continued to beat and kick him, the Israeli man told police.
“When they started beating me, I was like, ‘when will this nightmare end?’” the Israeli tourist later told German news site BZ, according to The Algemeiner.
The three attackers then got back into their car and the driver drove off.
“When they were done with me, they drove away on their car listening to loud Arabic music; they really celebrated,” the tourist recounted. “I was beaten up by Arabs because I’m Jewish.”
The Israeli man then checked into a hospital from where he alerted the police.
The attack was condemned by Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor.
“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,” he added.
Antisemitic incidents are common in Germany.
In its recent annual report, the Department for Research and Information on Anti-Semitism, or RIAS, said that it documented 2,480 incidents in the country last year — just under seven incidents per day on average.
They include violent crimes, such as the shooting at a former rabbi’s house next to an old synagogue in the western city of Essen last November. But they also include “everyday situations” at workplaces, homes, on public transportation and at supermarkets, Benjamin Steinitz, the head of RIAS, told reporters in June.