Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen personally apologized Thursday to a Chareidi man who was allegedly attacked because of his appearance while waiting at a city bus stop. In addition to sending a letter expressing regret over the incident, the mayor also delivered a cake to the victim as a gesture of support.

The apology followed a report by Kol Berama Radio detailing the assault. In his letter, Shama-Hacohen wrote that he was “deeply shocked to hear about the display of violence and threats that were made at you in the streets of our city. Such an incident is in complete contradiction to Ramat Gan’s fundamental values. There is and will not be any place for expressions of hatred or discrimination in the city.”

The mayor added that “the fact that you are a resident of the neighboring city of Bnei Brak who visited our city, makes the incident even more painful and upsetting.”

According to the victim, the attack took place Wednesday afternoon on Herzl Street in Ramat Gan as he waited for a bus back home. He told Kol Berama that while speaking with his brother-in-law by phone, he stepped to the side of the bus stop so as not to disturb the other passengers waiting there.

It was then, he said, that a man riding a bicycle while holding a beer bottle approached him and began shouting, “Haredi, what are you doing on this street? Go to Bnei Brak.”

The victim said he tried to walk away and avoid any confrontation, but the attacker got off his bicycle and allegedly began striking him repeatedly with the beer bottle. He said he was hit in the face and stomach before the assailant allegedly attempted to smash the bottle while threatening him, saying, “If I see you here in another 10 minutes, I will come back and murder you.”

Before the attacker fled, the victim said he was able to record him on his cellphone.

Reflecting on the ordeal, the victim said the physical assault was not the most painful part of the encounter. Rather, he said, the anti-Chareidi abuse directed at him because of his appearance left the deepest emotional scars.

“The hardest moment was hearing the shout, ‘Haredi, don’t step on this street, go to Bnei Brak. If you stay here, I’ll murder you,'” he said.

The victim also expressed disappointment that, despite the attack taking place on a busy street near a bus stop filled with people, no one stepped forward to intervene or attempt to stop the assault.

He further criticized the way police handled his complaint, saying investigators refused to immediately accept the photograph he had taken of the suspect on his phone. Instead, he said, they insisted he upload it through a designated online portal—a process he explained was especially difficult because he uses a kosher cellphone.

The victim said he hopes Israel Police will conduct a thorough investigation and use security camera footage from the area, along with any other available evidence, to identify and arrest the suspect.

{Matzav.com}