Eight Israelis physically attacked by drunk German tourists, who also shouted antisemitic threats, ‘We were attacked without any provocation, just because we are Jews.’
A violent antisemitic incident rocked the heart of Budapest roughly ten days ago, when a group of drunk German tourists assaulted eight haredi Israeli men, including two residents and six tourists, shortly after Shabbat evening prayers.
The victims, all clearly identifiable by their religious appearance, were on their way to a friend’s apartment when they were confronted by approximately 15 young Germans. According to testimonies, the Germans began hurling racist slurs such as “Heil Hitler,” “dirty Jews,” and “kill the Jews.”
Yossi (not his real name), one of the Israelis attacked, recounted the traumatic events: “We tried to calm things down, even shook hands with two of them who seemed uninvolved. But suddenly, one of the group jumped out of a taxi, yelled ‘Dirty Jew, I’ll kill you,’ gave a Nazi salute and punched me. I lost consciousness. My face was scratched, and my glasses and kippah were gone.”
Yossi had to remain locked in a hotel room after the attack and postponed his return to Israel. His family, who planned to join him in Budapest, canceled their trip out of fear. “We did absolutely nothing to provoke them. We were attacked just because we are Jews,” he said. “This was a hate crime, pure and simple.”
Hungarian police responded quickly, arresting one of the assailants while another fled. Shockingly, Yossi himself was also detained after one of the Germans falsely accused him of starting the brawl. He described humiliating conditions at the police station: “They held me for hours without food, water, or even shoes and a belt. No one understood English or answered my questions.” It was only upon the arrival of the hate crimes unit, which provided an interpreter, that he was released.
Despite his extensive experience traveling to Hungary without prior incidents, Yossi emphasized that this was unlike anything he had encountered before. “No matter how drunk they were, this was a violent antisemitic attack,” he stated, adding that he sustained a broken nose in the assault.
The local Jewish community has stepped in to provide legal assistance and representation for the victims and is working to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
