The assault on Rabbi Mali
The assault on Rabbi MaliNo credit

A rabbi from Tel Aviv-Jaffa was assaulted by a group of Arabs on the streets of Jaffa Sunday afternoon.

The victim, Rabbi Eliyahu Mali, has been identified as the dean of the local Hesder (pre-army preparatory) yeshiva, who was visiting real estate property his yeshiva plans on purchasing for a local Jewish man.

While walking down a street in Jaffa, Rabbi Mali and Moshe Schendowich, the director of the yeshiva, were attacked by a group of Arab assailants who surrounded the two and proceeded to harass and mock Rabbi Mali and Schendowich.

When Rabbi Mali and Schendowich took out their cellular phones to call for help, several of the Arabs assaulted them, punching and kicking the two victims.

Schendowich was injured in the attack, and was hospitalized afterwards.

Rabbi Mali filed a police complaint shortly after the assault.

Roughly one hour after the complaint was filed, police managed to locate and apprehend two Arab suspects.

The suspects have been identified as residents of Jaffa in their 30s.

“They punched and kicked me,” said Schendowich in an interview with Channel 13, emphasizing that the attack was nationalistically-motivated. “When people scream at you because you’re wearing a kippah, that you’re a ‘settler’ and that you should get out of there, that doesn’t seem like a ‘criminal’ incident.”