Attacker of British Rabbi sentenced to 43 months in jail

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.

Remember the London Rabbi - Rafi Goodwin - that was hit over the head with a brick last May?The monster responsible - Souraka Djabouri- has plead guilty to grievous bodily harm, theft and criminal damage.The attack happened at a time of high alert for Jews while Israel pic.twitter.com/fPcfASl4ds— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 8, 2022

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