Woman threatens rabbi with a knife on street in Vienna and steals his kippah
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said: 'We must fight antisemitism and do everything we can to make Jewish life safe here in Austria. Europe without Jews is no longer Europe'
An unidentified woman stole the kippah of a rabbi whom she threatened with a knife on a street in the Austrian capital of Vienna, police said.
The woman fled the scene of Thursday’s incident in Vienna’s 3rd district, the OE24 website reported. The assault happened after several minutes in which the woman shouted antisemitic slogans at the rabbi as multiple passersby looked away, he said.
The rabbi has declined to be named.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz condemned the incident in a statement. “I condemn today’s antisemitic attack on a rabbi in Vienna very strongly. We must fight antisemitism with all determination and do everything we can to make Jewish life safe here in Austria. Because Europe without Jews is no longer Europe”, he wrote.
The Jewish Community in Vienna, the main organisation representing Austrian Jews, had recorded during the first half of 2020 no fewer than 131 incidents of verbal abuse or harassment, 26 cases of antisemitic destruction of property and three physical assaults.
Austria has about 8,000 Jews.
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.
