Man stabbed in shul over reported herring dispute

A man was stabbed during a kiddush service on Saturday morning at a synagogue in Melbourne, reportedly in a dispute over herring.

The injured man, said to be in his 20s, was in moderate condition with stab wounds to the stomach, according to Australian media. He was being treated in hospital.

An unnamed witness told the ultra-Orthodox news website Kikar Hashabat that the man was stabbed in the chest, “near the heart.”

“It is a miracle he survived. We were all shocked [by the incident],” he said.

Police launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident and were looking for the stabbing suspect. It is believed the men knew each other.

According to Kikar Hashabat, the man who was stabbed did not want to pass some herring to the other, who got angry, picked up a knife and stabbed him.