Rabbi Attacked in Vienna by Nondescript Woman

A Viennese rabbi was attacked last Thursday by a woman who threatened him with a knife. It’s frustrating to watch videos or read articles about the incident, because there is so little information about the perpetratrix. She is said to be about 5’7″ and to have worn a grey coat. OK, that narrows it down. And she shouted “inappropriate slogans”. Such as…?

Did she yell “Allahu Akhbar”? Or, perhaps, “You can take your gefilte fish and stuff it”?

Actually, the lack of a definitive description is a sign that she is probably a culture-enricher. After all, if she had been a blond blue-eyed native Austrian, we would surely have been told all the details.

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

Below is an article from Die Presse about the attack on the rabbi. Many thanks to Gary Fouse for the translation:

Anti-Semitic attack on rabbi

During the attack, woman screamed anti-Semitic words

Vienna: An anti-Semitic attack upon a rabbi occurred on Thursday in Vienna-Landstrasse [a district in Vienna], the Interior Ministry announced Friday. A woman threatened the rabbi at a bus stop with a knife, tore his kippah from his head, and tried to kick him. At the same time, the attacker screamed, “Slaughter all Jews.” The rabbi was uninjured.

Sharp reactions

“Jew-hatred and anti-Semitism have no place in our society. My solidarity is with all Jewesses and Jews living in Austria,” tweeted Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had already reacted on Thursday night: “I condemn the anti-Semitic attack on a rabbi in Vienna in the sharpest terms. We must fight anti-Semitism with all our determination and do everything to enable Jewish life here in Austria to be safe. Because Europe without Jews is no longer Europe,” declared Kurz. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer added: “In addition to strengthened protection for synagogues, all measures will be taken to quickly clear up this attack that was obviously motivated by anti-Semitism. There is no tolerance for anti-Semitism.” The president of the Vienna Jewish Religious Community, Oskar Deutsch, described the attack as “a disturbing incident that has unsettled many.”

The attacker is about 50 years old and 170 centimeters [5’7″] tall, and wore a grey coat.

Video transcript:

00:00   What was probably anti-Semitic attack on a rabbi
00:03   Occurred on Thursday evening in Vienna’s Landstrasse.
00:06   A female attacker threatened the man with a knife and tore the kippah off his head.
00:11   She is said to have shouted inappropriate slogans and then fled.
00:15   Chancellor Sebastian Kurz reacted immediately. He writes on Twitter:
00:19   “I condemn the anti-Semitic attack on a rabbi in Vienna today in the strongest possible terms.
00:25   We have to fight anti-Semitism with all vigor,
00:28   and do everything to make Jewish life possible and safe here in Austria.
00:33   Because Europe without Jews is no longer Europe.”
00:36   “This attack is an attack on Jewish life in Vienna,”
00:39   Interior Minister Karl Nehammer also said in a broadcast.
00:42   In addition to the already strengthened protection of synagogues,
00:46   all measures are being taken to clear up this obviously anti-Semitically motivated attack quickly.
00:52   There is no tolerance for anti-Semitism,
00:55   regardless of whether it is politically or religiously motivated.