A rabbi was struck on the head in an antisemitic attack at the Overvecht Shopping Center in Utrecht, Netherlands, according to the victim and local authorities.
Rabbi Aryeh Leib Heintz confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that he was the victim of the attack.
“Why are you dressed like a Jew?” the attacker said before striking the rabbi, according to Heintz.
Utrecht Police said they were looking for witnesses to an incident in which a man attacked another after shouting discriminatory slurs.
Heintz reportedly fled into an Action supermarket but was pursued. A post shared on Heintz’s Facebook page said that when the rabbi attempted to take a picture of his assailant, he was ejected from the store because photography was against store policy.
The Utrecht City Council in a statement expressed “disgust and disapproval” of the antisemitic incident, and wished the rabbi and his family well.
“There is no place in Utrecht for hatred because of who someone is or what someone believes,” said the city council. “Our city is a place of freedom, safety, and respect.”
The European Jewish Congress said that the situation in Europe and around the world was growing ever more dire.
“Our full solidarity with Rabbi Heintz,” said EJC. “No one should ever have to live in fear because of their religion.”
