Yitzhak Leventhal, a yeshiva student from Canada who is studying in Melbourne, Australia, was attacked on a street in the city’s Bentleigh neighborhood while offering local Jews the opportunity to put on tefillin and distributing challahs and Shabbat candles.
According to reports in Australian media, Leventhal politely approached an older man and asked whether he was Jewish. After the man cursed at him and walked away, he returned and followed Leventhal while holding a knife in his right hand, threatened to murder him and the other Haredi young man walking with him, and ultimately punched him in the stomach.
(Photo illustration: David Cohen 156 / Shutterstock)
According to the report, the man watched Leventhal continue knocking on the doors of Jewish homes and offering people the opportunity to put on tefillin. He returned and confronted him again. He began shouting that the young man was “harassing people,” threatened to harm him and shouted repeatedly: “I’ll fucking kill him.” He continued threatening Leventhal and his friend while holding a knife in his right hand.
Police forces were quickly called to the scene. Within minutes, officers located the suspect and arrested him for testimony and questioning. As of publication, no indictment had been filed.
Despite the violent and traumatic attack, after giving his statement to police, Leventhal returned to his route, collected his tefillin and continued visiting homes in an effort to help more Jews perform the mitzvah, as he does every week.