Man cleared of assaulting Jewish father outside daughter’s Bat Mitzvah venue

A man who punched a Jewish father outside Bat Mitzvah venue has been found not guilty on all charges, after a jury rejected claims that the assault was religiously motivated.

As reported by the Jewish Chronicle, Samir Magdy Hassan Aly, 32, was acquitted at Wood Green Crown Court of religiously aggravated common assault, assault by beating, and causing intentional alarm or distress.

The incident occurred in November 2022 outside St Mary’s Church on Stoke Newington High Street, where the hall had been hired for a bat mitzvah ceremony. Aly, working nearby as a removal man, admitted throwing two punches at Daniel Lewandowski, the father of the bat mitzvah girl, during a dispute over a parking space.

“I feel very sorry,” Aly told the court. “I was angry and upset… When I saw the second punch [on CCTV], I was disappointed with myself.”

Jurors were shown footage of the scuffle, which began after Lewandowski asked Aly to vacate his van. Aly refused, saying he was working and had been instructed to remain. The exchange turned hostile, with both men allegedly swearing at each other.

Lewandowski’s legal team accused Aly of making antisemitic remarks during the confrontation, including “Hitler was right” and “you think I’m going to move for those people killing Palestinian children.” Aly denied the claims, insisting he did not know the venue was a synagogue and had no idea Lewandowski was Jewish.

“After I see them I see they were Jewish,” he said, referring to people exiting the building in religious dress. “That’s how I knew.”

Aly said tensions escalated when he was allegedly shoved and punched by Lewandowski, prompting him to retaliate. “The punch made me very hot, very upset,” he said. “My body did not act with my brain.”

Lewandowski’s lawyers denied he struck Aly, but CCTV footage showed him returning to the scene on foot and pushing the defendant, before being hit twice in return. The jury reviewed the incident in slow motion.

During cross-examination, Aly acknowledged he should have walked away after the first punch. “I should watch him and go away,” he said. “But I felt he would do it again.”

After the verdict, Lewandowski said the two men encountered each other outside the court and “embraced in a powerful embrace of forgiveness and sorrow.”

“There was no hate, and no adversity,” he said. “We made peace that moment.”

Lewandowski has since switched synagogues and praised local rabbinic leadership for fostering “interfaith relations and peace building”.

Aly, who was cleared of all charges, told the court he now regrets how he handled the incident.