A young Jewish man wearing a Star of David was attacked on a tram in Germany. The assailant is still at large.
By Rachel Avraham
The Jerusalem Post reported that a young 24-year-old Jewish man wearing a Star of David necklace was attacked on a tram in Erfurt, Germany. At around 6:35 a.m., an unknown attacker boarded the tram and noticed the Jewish passenger wearing his Star of David, the Jerusalem Post reported. According to the report, the attacker then insulted the victim, attempted to pull him off the train, and kicked him several times in the side of the body.
The Jerusalem Post continued that the attacker left the tram after failing to pull the victim off the train. One stop later, the victim left the tram, but was once again met by the attacker who threatened and beat him again before fleeing, the Jerusalem Post added. According to some German media reports, the victim’s Star of David was torn from his neck.
The German tabloid Bild published a description of the attacker, saying he is about 30 years old, of German appearance and with short blond hair. According to the report, the attacker’s height is about 185 cm. So far, the attacker has not been apprehended. As part of the investigation, surveillance camera footage is being investigated to identify the attacker. The police are classifying the attack as a politically motivated crime, the Times of Israel reported.
Only last month, a troubling report from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) was published showing that between January and March, there were 1,047 antisemitic crimes in Germany, including 27 cases of violence and 422 cases of incitement to hatred, Arutz Sheva reported.
According to the data, crimes included property damage, threats, verbal abuse, and physical attacks—some life-threatening, Yedioth Achronot reported. By the end of June, 470 suspects had been identified, seven of whom were arrested, the report added. In one case, an arrest warrant was issued. Officials said most incidents were politically motivated and carried out mainly by far-right extremists, Yedioth Achronot noted.
The latest figures add to a troubling trend of sharp increases in antisemitic incidents in Germany, especially since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel. In 2024, authorities reported 6,560 antisemitic crimes, including 1,488 violent incidents—a rise of more than 20% from the previous year, Yedioth Achronot stressed.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the Thuringian state government condemned the “obviously antisemitic attack in the strongest possible terms.” Thuringia’s antisemitism commissioner, Michael Panse, told the Jerusalem Post: “The protection of our Jewish fellow citizens and their property is a top priority for the state government. However, it remains a social task in particular to keep advocating that our Jewish fellow citizens can live in Thuringia without fear.”
