Mother of young Jewish boy violently attacked at subway may leave country

‘Now we’re being singled out in exactly the same way as Jews were singled out in 1936 in Berlin.’

By Vered Weiss World Israel News

The mother of one of several young Jewish boys violently attacked at the Belsize Park Underground station in London told the media that she plans to leave the UK with her family fearing for their safety.

On Monday, three 7th grade students at the Hasmonean high school, an Orthodox Jewish school in London, were violently attacked by slightly older boys from another school.

Speaking to the Daily Mail online, the mother of one of the boys said her son was “deeply shaken” after the incident and that he “struggles to sleep.”

“There’s a lot of support being given by the British Transport Police and the school but my son is very shaken and he’s struggling to sleep,” she said.

She continued, “We love this country, and we participate and we contribute but now we’re being singled out in exactly the same way as Jews were singled out in 1936 in Berlin.

The mother added, “And for the first time in my life I am terrified of using the tube. What’s going on?”

The mother gave Jewish News a full account of the incident.

“They ran ahead of my son and kicked one of his friends to the ground. They were trying to push another kid onto the tracks. They got him as far the yellow line.’

She continued, “I’m not sure how he managed to get away. My son ran a few steps up to try and get help. They ran after him, he was elbowed in the cheek and he hit his head against the wall.”

The mother added, “They dislodged a tooth and shouted ‘Get out of the city Jew!’”

She explained, “The child who was being pushed was being taunted all the way from school and on the way to the tube.”

The mother expressed frustration and the possibility of leaving the UK.

She said: ‘It’s a serious consideration to leave the country. It’s an enormous fear. Will we have to and if so, where are we supposed to go?

“We’re from Britain, but what can we do? That being said, the police are being amazing and are taking it all very seriously,” she added.

A Hasmonean staff member told the Jewish Chronicle that certain stories circulating on social media that one of the boys landed on the train tracks was “greatly exaggerated.”

The staff member said the boys are “absolutely fine now.”

The boys said that the perpetrators of the attack had harassed and bullied them on prior occasions.

In a statement, the British Transport Police said: “Detectives are appealing for witnesses after an assault on a group of Jewish schoolchildren. The incident is being treated as a hate crime.”

Students at Hasmonean high school are being encouraged not to wear their uniforms or Jewish symbols in public to avoid the risk of antisemitic violence.