Muslims Stab Jewish Man in Italy

By COLlive reporter

A Jewish man was attacked near a kosher restaurant in San Gimignano, one of the historical and populous residential block of Milan, Italy, on Thursday.

40-year-old Nathan Graf was not far from the Carmel pizzeria at 8:20 pm, when a woman approached him and stabbed him in his face.

According to a report in an Italian newspaper, the Jewish man suffered 9 stab wounds in his face and back. The most serious wound is a cut in his face about 7 centimeters deep.

The victim, son in law of the veteran Chabad Rabbi Levi Hezkia, was rushed to the Ospedale Niguarda Ca’ Granda hospital in Milan.

“From what we know, the victim was returning home when he was suddenly attacked by a hooded person,” said Raffaele Besso, a Jewish official in Milan. “Thankfully the victim is out of danger. Investigators are new verifying the existence of security cameras.”

The Il Messaggero newspaper reported: “The Jewish community said that the man was stabbed by three Arabs, including, probably, a woman.”

Local Chabad Rabbi Tzemach Mizrachitold NRG website: “A student that learns by us was witness to the incident and thanks to him it stopped. He ran towards the attacker and was screaming. The attacker and 2 friends who were waiting there ran away.”

According to Rabbi Moshe Shaikevitz, director of Beit Chabad-Milan Jewish Center, a number of young Israeli students standing not far from the scene heard the victim’s screams and came to his aid while the assailant, who they said appeared to be an Arab male, fled with a waiting accomplice, Chabad.org reported. The attacker has not yet been apprehended.

“There is always police protection outside the community school, the Chabad school, synagogues and other Jewish institutions, and there is also a local Jewish protection group,” Shaikevitz told Chabad.org. “We all hope and pray nothing like this happens again.”

Please say Tehillim for Natan ben Chaya Sarah.