Israeli man beaten and left barely conscious in antisemitic attack in London's Golders Green
A group of five or six men chased and kicked Shalev Ben Yakar after hearing him speak Hebrew on a phone call outside his flat. This is the latest in a series of antisemitic attacks in the north London
Shalev Ben Yakar, 22, was speaking on the phone on Golders Green Road at around 2am on Sunday night when a group of five or six Arabic-speaking men wearing tracksuits heard him speaking Hebrew. According to reports, the men attacked Ben Yakar, chased him, dragged him across the road, tore his clothes, and stole one of his shoes. As they beat him, they kept shouting the question, "Are you Jewish?"
Ben Yakar was left bleeding from wounds across his forehead, nose, and cheeks, with bruises across his back and face, and was taken to the hospital for treatment. While speaking with the Jewish Chronicle, he said, "I had that feeling, like I thought I was going to die... I just can't believe it happened."
According to the Metropolitan Police, the assault is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. No arrests have been made.
The attack follows a series of antisemitic incidents in Golders Green in recent months, including an arson attack on ambulances operated by a Jewish charity and a stabbing in which two Jewish men were injured.
Earlier this month, the UK police announced it would deploy 100 additional officers to protect London's Jewish communities as part of a new Community Protection Team.