A 60-year-old rabbi was assaulted by three men while waiting for a bus in Milan, in an attack that reportedly began after they identified him as Jewish by his religious clothing, Italian newspaper Il Giornale reported.
The attack took place in the city’s Bande Nere district. The three men, described as being of North African origin, allegedly insulted the rabbi before punching and kicking him. They also threw his hat to the ground, trampled on it and spat on him.
“He was simply waiting for the bus, and they recognized him from the way he was dressed,” said Walker Meghnagi, president of the Jewish Community of Milan.
Meghnagi described the attack as unusually severe.
“A thing this violent has never happened before,” he said, according to Il Giornale.
Police are investigating and have reportedly identified three people suspected of involvement. Authorities are conducting further checks to establish their roles and determine how the attack should be legally classified.
The assault follows another attack on visibly Jewish people in the Bande Nere district earlier in 2026. In that case, two Jewish tourists from Argentina wearing kippot were attacked by a group they described as North African. The tourists said the confrontation began with antisemitic insults before becoming violent.
Following the latest incident, Meghnagi raised concerns about the safety of visibly Jewish residents in public places.
“I am ashamed of what is happening,” he said.
Political figures have also condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the rabbi and Milan’s Jewish community.
