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Antisemitism

Argentina chief rabbi severely beaten in ‘anti-Semitic’ home invasion

Argentina’s chief rabbi was hospitalized in serious condition Monday after being beaten during a home invasion Monday.

The attack on Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Once was condemned by Jewish groups as an anti-Semitic attack.

The attackers, who entered the home of Davidovich in the pre-dawn hours, shouted “We know you are AMIA’s rabbi,” while beating him, according to local press reports.

Davidovich’s wife was restrained and the assailants took money and belongings from the home before fleeing, according to press reports.

He was hospitalized with several fractured ribs and a punctured lung, La Nacion reported. Hebrew-language press accounts reported his condition as “serious.”

AMIA said in a statement that the comments by the attackers were a cause for “alarm.”

“With extreme consternation, [AMIA] … expresses its deep concern,” the group said in a statement.

The DAIA Jewish community political umbrella group called the attack anti-Semitic and urged authorities to take action, linking it to anti-Semitic attacks in Europe.

The local Avoda Labor Zionist group also described the attack as anti-Semitic.

World Jewish Congress CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer said the singling out of Davidovich as a Jew was “disturbing and worrisome.”

“It is not yet clear whether this was a targeted crime of hateful antisemitism or a barbaric criminal act, but we trust that the authorities will continue to do everything in their power to determine the motive and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Read More: Times of Israel