WATCH: Orthodox Jewish man attacked in Tel Aviv ‘out of nowhere’

A Hasidic man in Tel Aviv was physically assaulted out of the blue in the center of Tel Aviv.

The victim, Levi Blau, recounted the experience to Israel’s 103FM Radio. A member of Chabad-Lubavitch, he said, “As usual, we do a ‘tefillin operation’ in Tel Aviv like every week, walking on Allenby Street Avenue, when suddenly a man comes in front of us, shouts ‘Orthodox’ and pushes me to the floor.”

By ‘tefillin operation,’ he was referring to Chabad’s approaching Jewish men to ask if they would like to don tefillin – or phylacteries, a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah.

The assailant mumbled something against the ultra-Orthodox during the attack, Blau’s father told Walla news.

Blau said he and his friends had not even approached his attacker and that the attacker appeared “out of nowhere.” It was “terrifying,” he added.

On Tuesday, police arrested a man from the city of Pardes Hanna, Israel National News reported.