Kippah-Wearing Rabbi and Children Attacked in Berlin as Germany Records Antisemitism Surge

Rabbi Aviezer Kantor, a member of Berlin’s Chabad community, was attacked on Saturday afternoon while walking with his two children in the city’s Charlottenburg district. A 31-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene.

The assault came days after RIAS, Germany’s antisemitism watchdog, reported 8,725 antisemitic incidents in 2025, including 178 assaults, 257 threats, and four cases of extreme violence.

According to German police, the incident took place at about 3:15 p.m. on Uhlandstrasse. Kantor, who serves as a kosher supervisor at the local Chabad House, was wearing a kippah at the time.

Police said the suspect threatened and insulted him before spitting in his face and toward his children. “This allegedly first led to a verbal confrontation and then to a physical assault,” police said. Local reports described the suspect as Arabic-speaking. He was taken for a blood test after his arrest. Authorities are investigating whether the attack was antisemitic.

The Israeli Embassy in Germany condemned the assault and warned that hateful language can lead to violence. “They do not even spare children,” the embassy said. “Words lead to sentiment, sentiment leads to action.”

The attack added to growing concern among Jewish communities in Germany, where officials say antisemitism has remained at a high level since the Hamas-led October 7 massacre in Israel.

RIAS said 68 percent of the antisemitic incidents it recorded in 2025 involved Israel-related antisemitism. The group’s report also noted that the total remained far above prewar levels. In 2022, before the October 7 attack, RIAS recorded 2,480 incidents.

Germany’s federal antisemitism commissioner, Felix Klein, warned that the numbers point to a wider danger.

“Antisemitism does not just target Jewish people,” Klein said. “It endangers our democracy, our freedom, and the moral foundation of our country.”

Jewish organizations in Germany have warned that antisemitic harassment, threats, and street attacks are becoming part of daily life for visibly Jewish people. The Berlin assault, which took place in front of children, has intensified those concerns.

Police have not released the suspect’s name. The investigation is ongoing.