Jewish siblings in Australia assaulted in suspected anti-Semitic attack

A Jewish woman and her brother were assaulted Saturday in a Melbourne suburb in a suspected anti-Semitic attack.

The 25-year-old woman and her 22-year-old brother were standing outside a home in Caulfield North when they were attacked by an unknown assailant.

The man was treated at the scene for a minor head injury while the woman was taken to the hospital after sustaining cuts to her shoulder and cheek from an unknown object. Her injuries were not life-threatening.

The attacker fled the scene.

The two were wearing religious clothing when they were attacked, the Herald Sun reported.

“If this assault, which is shocking on many levels, was in fact driven by anti-Semitism, it should be investigated as a hate crime,” Anti-Defamation Commission head Dvir Abramovich told the paper.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this ugly and violent attack on individuals who were visibly identifiable as Jews, and our thoughts are with the victims,” he added.

Following the incident, security was increased for Melbourne’s Jewish community, the Australian Jewish News reported.

The Jewish community was also called on to travel in large groups and to avoid dark and poorly lit places.