Police said the suspect allegedly spat in the rabbi’s face and toward his two children who were standing nearby during the confrontation.
By United with Israel Staff
A Chabad rabbi was attacked while walking with his two young children in Berlin on Saturday afternoon in what authorities are investigating as a possible antisemitic incident.
According to Berlin police, the 48-year-old rabbi was walking in the Charlottenburg district when a man allegedly began threatening and insulting him. German media reported that the confrontation was triggered by the rabbi’s visible Jewish appearance, including his kippah.
The incident began as a verbal altercation at approximately 3:15 p.m. before quickly escalating.
Police said the suspect allegedly spat in the rabbi’s face and also toward his two children, who were standing nearby during the confrontation.
Witnesses called police, who arrived at the scene and arrested the suspect, a 31-year-old man. According to the German newspaper Bild, the suspect is of Arab origin.
Authorities have launched an investigation and are examining whether the attack was motivated by antisemitism.
The incident comes amid growing concern over antisemitism in Germany.
Last week, the Berlin-based Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) reported that Germany recorded a record 8,725 antisemitic incidents in 2025, the highest number ever documented in the country.
According to the report, the total represented a slight increase over the previous year and included 178 physical assaults and 257 threats. RIAS said nearly seven out of 10 incidents were classified as “Israel-related antisemitism.”
“The number of incidents has remained consistently high since Oct. 7, 2023, and continues to affect the lives of Jewish people,” the organization said.
The latest attack is likely to add to concerns within Germany’s Jewish community, which has repeatedly warned that antisemitic incidents have become increasingly common in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war.
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