Honenu Attorney Menashe Yado; Photo credit: Honenu
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 8:31 In January 2019, an Arab attacked a Jewish man running through alleys in the Old City of Jerusalem. The assailant was arrested, charged with assault, and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. The victim was also awarded NIS 2,000. In August 2023, Honenu Attorney Menashe Yado filed a suit against the assailant in civil proceedings on behalf of the victim. Recently, the Jerusalem Magistrates Court awarded the victim NIS 17,000 in compensation.
The statement of claim describes the attack: “On January 31, 2019, the plaintiff was running on Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem. He wore a kippa and a tallit with tzitzit. The defendant’s younger brother noticed the plaintiff, and, clearly motivated by racism, vehemently cursed him. The plaintiff turned around, and an argument broke out between him and the brother. Immediately, a number of people gathered around the plaintiff. Simultaneously, the defendant’s brother repeatedly beat the plaintiff, as did another man. At some point, the defendant joined the mob and viciously beat the plaintiff. The plaintiff tried to escape, and some of the people present tried, in vain, to rescue the plaintiff from the hands of the attackers. They did not stop beating the plaintiff. At some point, the defendant pulled off his belt and whipped the complainant . In the end, several people succeeded in rescuing the plaintiff from the attackers.”
Attorney Yado stated that Honenu has been working for years to ensure that antisemitic attackers in Jerusalem are prosecuted: “Honenu works consistently and uncompromisingly to take East Jerusalem Arabs who attack Jews to court. We force them to pay for their acts of aggression against Jews. Only when there is deterrence against antisemitic attacks will a sense of security be returned to Jews in East Jerusalem.”