A routine girls’ trip to Koh Samui, Thailand, turned violent in an instant when Sheila Negrin, a 49-year-old Israeli tourist from Ramat Gan, was suddenly attacked on the street — without any prior confrontation.
“I was standing on the main street of Chaweng Beach and talking to a vendor I knew. I explained in English that our flight to Israel had been canceled,” Negrin recalled in an interview with Ynet, a major Israeli news site. “Suddenly — out of nowhere — I felt a slap to my face. I didn’t even see where it came from.”
Negrin stressed she had no interaction with the attacker. “I didn’t speak to her, didn’t look at her. I just said the word ‘Israel’ — and I was hit in the head.”
How did you respond?
“It took me a few seconds to understand what was happening — and then I just saw black. I didn’t think, didn’t analyze — I simply reacted. Once I came to, I grabbed her by the hair, shoved her head into a clothing rack, and she went down with it to the ground.”
She said the confrontation continued even after bystanders intervened. “They separated us, but she came back at me. So I grabbed her again. She was already on the ground and I was over her. I dragged her by the hair. She was upside down, with her legs in the air. She was screaming that she would kill me, but I didn’t listen at all. I was in it.”
What surprised her most, she said, was the attacker’s apparent confidence. “It looked like she expected to slap me and just walk away. She didn’t expect any response. She was brazen, thought I wouldn’t react, and told me to stay away from her — as if I were the one who attacked.”
Only after the incident ended did Negrin notice the attacker’s condition. “I saw her face — she took a beating. She had a black eye, her hair was completely disheveled. She looked like she had been through something serious. I’m not someone who raises a hand, but something else came out of me here, something I don’t recognize in myself. I’m not a violent person, I don’t deal with that at all. I’m a person of peace and love, I’m vegan and I love animals — but if someone lays a hand on me, I won’t stay passive. I won’t turn the other cheek.”
The trip to Thailand had originally been planned as a women-only family vacation. Negrin traveled with her daughters, her sister, nieces and a close friend. They departed at the last minute, just hours before flights from Israel were halted due to the war, intending to enjoy a relaxed trip — but found themselves stranded in Thailand with no way to return. The attack occurred while they were waiting for a flight home.
Although the incident ended without serious injury, Negrin acknowledged the risk in hindsight. “It could have ended very differently,” she said. “If it had been a man attacking me, I don’t know how it would have ended.”
She is also aware of the potential legal consequences. “I could have gotten into trouble. If police had arrived, it could have led to questioning, passports, a mess. I’m glad it didn’t get to that.”
Despite the unusual attack, Negrin emphasized that she does not blame Thai authorities or locals. “The Thai people are wonderful. Truly. I didn’t encounter any hostility from them — only smiles, only help, only kindness.”
She said locals stepped in during the incident. “Three Thai men immediately jumped in to separate us, and the vendor stood by me. The next day I even found out she was also hit while trying to help me.”
Her conclusion is straightforward: “This isn’t the story of a vacation in Thailand — it’s the story of one person who chose violence. I continue to wear a Star of David and tank tops, continue to speak Hebrew, continue to say proudly that I’m from Israel. I’m not hiding — and I won’t start now. Antisemitism exists and always will, but I don’t intend to give in to it. I’m even thinking of adding a tattoo of the map of Israel and the flag — there’s still space.”