WJC: Probe attack on Argentine rabbi

According to reports, Rabbi Moshe Cohen accosted by man who yelled ‘Dirty Jew’, hit him on head with martial-arts weapon

Reuters | Published: 05.15.11, 14:19

The leadership of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) has strongly condemned a vicious anti-Semitic attack against Rabbi Moshe Cohen, the director of an Orthodox Jewish school in Buenos Aires, last week.

According to reports, he was accosted by a man who yelled ‘Dirty Jew’ and other insults against him and hit him on the head with a nuchaka, an oriental martial-arts weapon.

Cohen had to be treated in hospital. Police have detained the suspected aggressor. The WJC is calling for a probe of the incident.

“Clearly, this brutal attack is an anti-Semitic hate crime. Its background needs to be investigated urgently and thoroughly by the Argentine authorities.

"The fact that this happened on the eve of Yom Ha’atzmaut – Israel’s Independence Day – is quite disturbing,” WJC Secretary General Dan Diker declared.

He added, “Argentina has always provided a good and tolerant climate for Jews, and thankfully, anti-Semitic incidents such as this are rare.

"However, the authorities in Buenos Aires should not ignore the writing on the wall. They need to do everything they can to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.”