Israeli man, 65, indicted for spitting on Polish ambassador
Arik Lederman of Herzliya accused of banging on Polish envoy's car before spitting at him
A 65-year-old Israeli man has been indicted for banging on the roof of the car of Polish Ambassador Marek Magierowski and spitting at him.
According to the indictment filed Thursday by police with the Tel Aviv Magistrates’ Court, Arik Lederman of Herzliya stood in the middle of a Tel Aviv road to block the car from moving, slammed his fist on the roof of the car and then opened the door and spit on Magierowski twice, the Kan national broadcaster reported.
Lederman claimed that he did not know that the ambassador was in the car, only that it bore Polish diplomatic plates. He said the car honked at him for blocking the road, which angered him.
Lederman said Wednesday in an apology to the Polish ambassador that his family suffered during the Holocaust and that he was at the embassy to inquire about recovering property abandoned during the Holocaust, Ynet reported. He said the embassy guard called him a Jewish slur in Polish – “zydek,” meaning “yid” or “little Jew” — and was upset when he came across the car with Polish diplomat plates on the street.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Magierowski called claims that the guard slurred Lederman “bizarre,” adding that he is “a loyal, hard-working, well-trained and delicate person.
One more thing. I’ve read some bizarre claims about inappropriate behaviour & language of the sec guard at @PLinIsrael. Simply not true. He is a loyal, hard-working, well-trained & delicate person. In his 2-month tenure he’s attended approx. 2K people. Not a single complaint.
— Marek Magierowski (@mmagierowski) May 15, 2019
The incident comes in the days after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared that his government will not pay compensation for property lost during World War II since, he said, Poles were the war’s major victim.
An unnamed source at the Polish Foreign Ministry told Kan that the Poles expect answers from Israel regarding the security of its diplomats. “We will follow this, and if we are not satisfied, there may be additional summonses for meetings with Israeli diplomats,” the source said. Poland’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to Warsaw, Anna Azari, in the wake of the incident to answer questions about the altercation.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
