Rabbi Cipriani Becomes Latest Victim of Antisemitic Attack
The latest antisemitic attack happened in Genoa on Thursday. Rabbi Haim Fabrizio Cipriani was the victim after he was attacked with a screwdriver and verbally abused by a homeless man. The attacker identified Cipriani quickly since he was wearing a Jewish head covering known as a kippah.
Fortunately enough, the Genoa Police were able to intervene in time, helping Cipriani come out of the assault unharmed. La Repubblica was the first to report the antisemitic attack. The news outlet said the attacker, 58, was arrested and charged with violating the Mancion Law regarding racial insults.
Speaking to a Jewish Italian media house, Moked, Cipriani said the attack shocked him, but he wasn’t surprised. The Rabbi added that he was prepared for antisemitic attacks as they had become rampant in various countries, including Italy, following Israel’s response to the Hamas assault that caused the loss of more than 1,200 people.
Cipriani Recounts the Antisemitic Attack
Cipriani then went ahead to recount the horrifying incident, narrating that the homeless man used a screwdriver to threaten him while shouting at him to leave Italy. The Rabbi added that the attacker attempted to persuade other people nearby to join him in attacking the Jewish spiritual leader, but nobody heeded his calls for violence.
Cipriani took to Facebook to inform the Jewish community about the incident and assured everyone that he was doing fine. He then condemned the rising cases of hate-fuel attacks against Jewish people, asking governments across the world to protect Israelis residing in their countries.
More Antisemitic Attacks
Since the current war began on October 7, several antisemitic incidents have been reported in multiple countries. Jewish students in US-based colleges are living in fear amid constant attacks launched on them by Palestinian supporters. Moreover, synagogues in Canada have not been spared. Two of them have been attacked with Molotov cocktails in recent weeks.
It is worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time Rabbi Cipriani has encountered an antisemitic attack. He told Moked that a few years back, antisemites in France chased him down in the streets of Montpellier.
