A Shoah survivor and her rabbi son were reportedly punched in the head and subjected to horrific verbal and physical abuse on a London bus on Tuesday.
Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim reported that a female had punched the 80-year-old and her son in the head whilst screaming: “I hate you Jews, it’s not your place, you took our money.”
A statement from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) also claimed that the woman threw the rabbi’s hat on the ground during the attack, which they said took place at 2:48pm on the 76 bus between Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill.
According to the CAA, passengers “pleaded with the bus driver to stop” as the bus drove by a police station, but he reportedly declined.
The rabbi is reported to be from Kehal Chadidim Synagogue in Golders Green.
#HateCrime #AntiSemitism
— Shomrim (Stamford Hill) (@Shomrim) February 10, 2021
Outside @MetPoliceUk Stoke Newington on a @TFL 73 bus
80 yr old Holocaust survivor & son a Rabbi, abused & punched to the head by a female "I hate you Jews, it's not your place, you took our money" @MPSRTPC & @MPSHackney investigating CAD 4563 9/2/21 pic.twitter.com/3VVo5hQNDO
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is yet another unprovoked act of violence against members of the Jewish community going about their day. Our research has shown that almost half of British Jews conceal visible signs of their Judaism in public due to antisemitism, and fear of attacks such as this clearly feed into this sentiment. TfL must explain why the bus driver took no action, allowing the abuse to go on despite the violence and the protests of other passengers, and the assailant must quickly be identified and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Police are investigating the incident, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD4563 9/2/21.
The JC has contacted the police for comment.