Please click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu provided legal counsel to victims of antisemitic attacks in Jerusalem.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher; Photo credit: Honenu
Sunday, February 9, 2025, 11:05 Four years ago, an Arab resident of Jerusalem punched a Jew who was walking through the Old City. After the attack, the Arab was arrested and indicted for assault, but not for racially motivated assault. He was sentenced in a plea bargain to 150 community service hours. The victim was also awarded NIS 1,000 in compensation. Following the criminal sentencing, Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher filed an NIS 120,000 suit against the assailant in civil proceedings at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court.
The attack is described in the indictment: “The claimant was walking on or near Al-Khalidiya Street in Jerusalem when suddenly a man whose identity was not known to him called him a ‘pig.’ The claimant retorted, ‘You’re a pig.’ Upon hearing that, the defendant approached the claimant, punched him in the face, kicked him, and shoved him into a wall. The claimant’s glasses and kippa were knocked to the ground, and he suffered pain in his teeth and back.”
Attorney Bleicher: “This was an antisemitic terror attack. Unfortunately, for reasons that are unclear, the criminal indictment did not include charges for a racially motivated crime. However, the facts speak for themselves. In the civil suit, we demanded punitive compensation commensurate with the circumstances of the attack and also recognition of the attack as an act of terror, which, if granted, will exempt the victim from court fees. We will continue making every effort to exact a high price from Arab terrorists with the goal of eradicating terror.”