Italian and international Jewish leaders voiced concern after an attack against an orthodox Jew who was stabbed nine times by a hooded man in Milan on Thursday night. The victim, 40-year-old Nathan Graff, was taken to hospital but his condition was said to be satisfactory.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder condemned the stabbing, saying: “Violent attacks against innocent civilians are to be abhorred, regardless of their motive. If this indeed was a deliberate and malicious targeting of a man because he is identifiably Jewish, it is imperative that Italian authorities treat this incident with utmost severity.
"It is the duty of the Italian government to protect its citizens and to crack down on any forms of hatred or incitement. My heart is with the victim and his family. I pray that this was an isolated attack and that the Jews of Italy will continue to live in peace and security,” Lauder declared.
The attack took place outside a kosher restaurant. Graff is the nephew of the Milan rabbi Hetzkia Levi.
Media report that it is now believe that the attacker had two accomplices.
Italian Jewish leader: 'We won't be intimidated'
Jews in Italy would not be intimidated by the attack, the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), Renzo Gattegna, said on Friday. "We will go forward, without being intimidated," he said. Gattegna also called for security measures to be increased but noted that police work in this area was already "extraordinary".
Milan's Islamic community leader on Friday condemned the attack. Abdel Hamid Shaari, the president of the Islamic Cultural Center, voiced "a condemnation without ifs or buts of what happened last night in Milan".
