Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher; Photo credit: Honenu
Wednesday, November 27, 2019, 11:55 In early November, a 17-year old minor was assaulted on Haladia Street in the Old City of Jerusalem outside of the yeshiva which he attends. The police have detained a suspect, however no indictments have been filed in the case. In a letter he sent to the Merchav David (Old City) Police Department of Investigations, Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher described the attack:
“The assailant punched my client in the face three times while he was still alone. At this point another youth arrived at the scene. The assailant distanced himself a bit from them and then began to throw rocks at them. My client was injured and his face bruised, including around his eyes.”
Bleicher added that there was no reason for the attack: “The attack on my client was carried out without any provocation or cause other than my client being Jewish.”
In conclusion, Bleicher requested that the police conduct a thorough investigation, “verify that the suspect is investigated for a racist motivation, and transfer the case to the District Attorney’s office for the purpose of filing an indictment for ‘injury caused by racially motivated assault.’
“Unfortunately there have been many incidents of anti-Semitic attacks. Assault and injury of an innocent man by several punches to his face, without any provocation of the assailant, indicates the cruelty of the assailant and his evil intents. As long as the assailant walks free, he constitutes an anti-Semitic ticking time bomb. Next time the results could be much worse. The police are responsible for thoroughly investigating the incident and bringing the assailant to trial for an anti-Semitically motivated attack.”