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After another attack against a rabbi from Offenbach, the Orthodox Rabbinical Conference praised the moral courage of witnesses to the incident on New Year's Day.
"Every attack on Jewish life, whether verbal, physical or fatal, is always a shock for the Jews living here in Germany," said Frankfurt Rabbi Avichai Apel from the board of the Orthodox Rabbinical Conference.
"What makes us happy despite this sad occasion: the citizens of Offenbach have shown moral courage and loudly put the attacker in his place."
The Offenbach rabbi Mendel Gurewitz was on his way home from the synagogue with his children on New Year's Eve when he was insulted anti-Semitically by a 46-year-old man.
Several witnesses called the police, who temporarily arrested the man.
According to a police spokesman, an investigation was initiated against the drunk man, among other things for sedition, insult and use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations.
Gurewitz had already received anti-Semitic insults and attacks several times in the past.
Gurewitz himself called the incident a "traumatic" experience in a Facebook post.
The reaction of the residents was overwhelming: “People intervened from every window, shouted at the aggressor, defended us, and notified the police.
Some left their homes and followed him on foot or by car.
(...) It was a sudden explosion of love and support. "