Hasidic Jews tackle drunk man outside Australian synagogue

Congregants bring down suspected thief in confrontation at Melbourne shul

A group of Hasidic Jews on Thursday surrounded and tackled a man screaming epithets outside an Australian synagogue.

Police charged the man, who was said to be intoxicated, with one count of theft, one count of criminal damage and two counts of assault after the incident outside the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.

According to the Daily Mail, the man was shouting “Go back to Israel” and “Swear to Allah” before he was tackled by the members of the congregation.

The Mail said the incident began when the man was heading towards a nearby train station with three others when he allegedly stole a child’s scooter from outside the synagogue.

The confrontation occurred when the man got into an argument with men who came out of the synagogue to talk to him about the alleged theft.

In several videos posted to the Facebook page of the Australian Jewish News, the man can be seen screaming at several Hasidic Jews. After a scuffle, he was pinned to the ground.

Senior Constable Anthony Myers, who arrested the man at the scene, praised the way the synagogue members had handled the incident.

“They were very calm and dealt with him very well,” Myers told the AJN.