Poland's Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich, was attacked in an isolated incident last Saturday in Warsaw. Rabbi Schudrich, who was booked to make a speech at Birkenau the following day alongside Pope Benedict XVI, was punched in the stomach and doused with pepper spray by an unidentified young man. The resilient Rabbi Schudrich carried off his speech the following day with brio, and looked unshaken by the incident.
The Polish President was swift to apologise, and Poland's reaction has been greeted warmly in Israel, who are nonetheless uneasy about certain figures in Poland's government, after a bizarre coalition was launched a month ago including the strongly rightist League of Polish Families.
Rabbi Schudrich was walking down the street with a group of friends on Saturday when he heard the inflammatory chant 'Polska dla Polakow' (Poland for the Poles).
He accosted the youth, and questioned him about why he had uttered the chant. Uneasy at Schudrich's assertive response, the youth punched the Rabbi and then squirted him in the face with pepper spray. The Police are now searching for the culprit.
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