Agitated US Rabbi expresses dissatisfaction with law enforcement's response during public demonstration in Vienna
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Assaulted at Pro-Palestine Rally in Vienna
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a prominent US rabbi known as "America's Rabbi," was physically assaulted during a pro-Palestine rally in Vienna on August 9, 2025. The attack occurred as he was visibly wearing Jewish symbols such as his kippah and tzitzit.
According to reports, Rabbi Boteach was shoved, kicked, and manhandled by a mob described as Islamist thugs. After the assault, instead of immediately arresting his attackers, Austrian police took Rabbi Boteach to a police station for identification and interrogation, repeatedly warning him to "calm down or you will be arrested."
Rabbi Boteach was held for two hours on Shabbat, along with his wife and others who witnessed the event, including an American police officer from California whose testimony helped convince Austrian authorities that Boteach was the victim.
In the aftermath of the attack, Rabbi Boteach expressed profound shock and humiliation that such an attack over Jewish religious attire could happen in Europe in 2025. He condemned Vienna for not adequately protecting Jewish citizens, noting the city's dark historical associations with antisemitism.
As of the latest reports, it remains unclear whether any of the attackers were arrested or questioned. Rabbi Boteach called for justice and urged people to demand action from Austrian lawmakers.
The attack on Rabbi Boteach comes amidst a worrying rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe. According to the Anti-Defamation League, violent antisemitic incidents have risen in seven countries with the largest Jewish communities outside of Israel, including France, Germany, and the UK.
In Germany alone, 3,200 crimes motivated by antisemitism occurred between January 2024 and October 2024. In some European countries, as many as four-fifths of the adult population believe in antisemitic tropes such as Jews controlling the media and business or being responsible for most wars.
Rabbi Boteach has decried his ordeal in Europe as a warning and has reached out to high-level American government officials due to concerns about rising antisemitism. He differentiated between "Islamists who want Jews murdered" and Muslim faithful at the rally.
Rabbi Boteach questioned whether Vienna will choose to be the city of Mozart, Schubert, and Mahler or a city where Jews are attacked in the streets and statues of Jew-haters stand tall. He also expressed concern that if Austria allows attacks on Jews to pass without serious consequences, it is sending a clear message to its Jewish community: they are on their own.
An investigation is currently underway in Austria on suspicion of attempted assault and property damage by unknown perpetrators. Rabbi Boteach was eventually made to sign a statement after the police saw videos of the incident and corroborated witness accounts. A video posted by Boteach online shows him being surrounded during a heated exchange at the rally, with one demonstrator kicking him in the leg and another grabbing his shirt collar.
[1] [https://www.jta.org/2025/08/10/news-opinion/israel-world/austrian-police-question-rabbi-boteach-after-attack-at-pro-palestine-rally] [2] [https://www.timesofisrael.com/rabbi-boteach-assaulted-at-pro-palestine-rally-in-vienna-calls-for-justice/]
- In the context of the incident, Rabbi Boteach called for justice in the realm of crime-and-justice, urging Austrian lawmakers to take action against his attackers.
- The attack on Rabbi Boteach, a prominent US rabbi, was covered in general-news media outlets, as it highlighted the unsettling rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe, particularly in politics.
