A passenger in Melbourne told his Uber driver to stop the car after finding out he was Jewish.
Footage of the incident on Tuesday – which appears to have been taken by the passenger – shows 60-year-old Naftoli being asked if he was Jewish.
When he confirmed his identity, the passenger then said: “Just stop on the left, mate. Just stop here. I don’t like Jews. I’m not going to ride with a Jew.”
When getting out of the car, the passenger continues unprovoked: “Jewish scumbag. See you later you scumbag. F**king Jewish dog.”
According to the Australian Jewish News, the driver's Uber profile photo showed him wearing a kippah, and he said after the incident that he was “quite shaken” and “concerned that he would assault me.”
The driver relayed the incident to Uber, the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), and reportedly intends to file a report with Victoria Police. The passenger’s access to the Uber app had been permanently removed, the company said.
ADC chairman Dr. Dvir Abramovich said in a statement that “an explosive outburst such as this one not only traumatizes the victim but deeply scars the entire community and leave them scared and vulnerable.”
He continued: “This terrifying incident provides further evidence that racists are less inhibited about expressing their poisonous bigotry, and is a grim reminder that antisemitism remains a persistent problem.”
