Attacker of British Rabbi sentenced to 43 months in jail

Souraka Djabouri, 19, was sentenced to the more than 3.5-year term in a youth offenders’ institution on Friday after admitting to striking Rabbi Goodwin over the head with a brick.

Shoppers cross Oxford Street, London, Britain, December 28, 2021. (photo credit: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE/FILE PHOTO)
Shoppers cross Oxford Street, London, Britain, December 28, 2021.
(photo credit: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE/FILE PHOTO)

A 19-year-old British man has been sentenced to 43 months in a youth offenders’ institution for his role in the assault of British Rabbi Rafi Goodwin in May 2021, Jewish News UK reported.

Souraka Djabouri was sentenced on Friday after admitting to striking the rabbi on the head with a brick. The attack happened amid Israel’s 2021 conflict in Gaza – a time of increased antisemitism in the UK and much of the West.

Djabouri and an accomplice originally verbally assaulted Goodwin before vandalizing and striking his car as he drove off. When he got out of the car to assess the damage, Djibouti struck him over the head with a brick and stole his cellphone. 

“Hate crime is a priority for Essex Police and it simply will not be tolerated. Our drive to secure justice, in this case, shows that," Police Constable Thomas Tod of the Loughton Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told Jewish News. "We work shoulder to shoulder with our Essex partners to take a tough stance against hatred, and we work closely with the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] to make sure that, where we identify hate crime offenders, they are brought to justice.”

“We know this has been an exceptionally hard time for Rabbi Rafi and we hope that today will bring some measure of closure for him,” United Synagogue chief executive Steven Wilson said in a statement. “We are very grateful to everyone who has helped him and his wonderful family over this period.”

Antisemitism in the UK

2021 saw a sharp rise in antisemitism in the United Kingdom – especially in the midst of the Israel-Gaza war in May. The UK had antisemitic 2,255 incidents in 2021, an increase of 34% from the 1,684 incidents recorded in 2020.