The harsh footage of the assault on the yeshiva student at a shoe store in Bnei Brak, which was revealed today (Monday) in "Ultra-Orthodox Quarters," sparked a lot of outrage on social media. The video, which shows the violent assault of the yeshiva student by a group of young people, was circulated online and provoked angry reactions from residents, who criticize the treatment of the phenomenon of marginal youths in the city. Now, in a conversation with B'Hadrei Haredim, the student who was attacked talks about the grave fear that has accompanied him since the incident, and especially about the fear that the attackers will harm him again.
"I'm afraid. I'm afraid that the investigation will dissolve and they will come to take revenge on me for filing the complaint," he says. "How far have we come that I am the victim, and instead of being afraid, I am afraid that they will come back to me and treat me with cruel violence again."
The student, who was injured in the attack and required medical treatment, is having trouble digesting what he went through at his workplace. "I'm a normative person, I've never gotten into trouble, I've never been beaten. I'll welcome a quiet that doesn't stand out in the vicinity, and one fine day I just find myself in a situation where people enter my workplace, a place where I'm supposed to feel safe, they spray me with pepper spray and beat me brutally."
Along with his personal concern, he hopes that the police will take action against those responsible for the attack. "I hope that the police will handle the case severely, so that they don't dare to do it to anyone else again," he adds.
The harsh testimony comes against the backdrop of many reactions that were published following the distribution of the footage. Residents expressed shock at the intensity of the violence and criticized what they describe as the lack of adequate treatment of the phenomenon of marginalized youth, which they say harms the city's sense of personal security. Many expressed hope that this time the police would exhaust the investigation and take action against those involved.
As reported by B'Hadrei Haredim, the attack took place last Thursday, when a 16-year-old man entered the shoe store and asked the seller to help him measure his shoes. Later, according to eyewitnesses, the young man tried to blackmail the student and even threatened to file a false complaint against him with the police. After the student refused to give in to the threats, the young man left the scene, but a few minutes later he returned with five of his friends.
The group attacked the yeshiva, beat him brutally, pepper-sprayed him and caused a riot in the store. The youths then fled the scene.
The incident joins a series of serious cases of violence that have been recorded in recent months in Bnei Brak. Just last month, three yeshiva students were attacked on the Rebbe of Gur Street in the city, one of whom was moderately injured after a marginalized youth hit him in the head with an interlocking stone.
The Israel Police said in response: "Following the complaint, an investigation has been opened and all actions are being taken in order to locate the suspects in the act."
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