Holocaust survivor, 83, brutally beaten in Haifa park

Holocaust survivor brutally beaten: “He hit me with a chain on my back.”

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

A 31-year-old Haifa man was charged after he allegedly attacked and severely beat a Holocaust survivor as the two walked their dogs in a park, Channel 13 reported.

Moshe Spinner, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, was out walking his dog in a public park in the northern port city of Haifa last week and was taking a break to sit down and rest.

“While I was sitting, he walked up to me quickly and then hit me with a chain on my back, and with his hands he tried to hit me in the face,” Spinner told Channel 13.

Spinner was hit in the head and had to receive stitches around his his right eye, and was bruised from blows to his arms, abdomen and legs.

According to the indictment, the two men were both walking their dogs in Haifa’s Memorial Park, a picturesque area in a lower part of the mountainous city overlooking the Mediterranean and the busy Haifa port. The two encountered each other and the defendant got angry, claiming that Spinner’s dog had attacked his.

The angered young man moved quickly in Spinner’s direction and began beating him with an iron chain he was holding. The assailant then hit Spinner several times in the head, arms and body, the report said.

Passersby managed to chase the attacker away, but he soon returned to the park to continue beating the victim.

“There were three guys about 200 meters away,” Spinner said. “When they saw me falling to the ground as a result of the beating, they came to my aid,” Spinner said, adding, “One of them said ‘call an ambulance’ because there was a lot of blood flowing.”

Sources in the police and the prosecutor’s office said they will demand a severe sentence from the court.

Spinner underwent surgery on his back and family members will be helping him to get through the long process of recovery.

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