A Jewish man was viciously assaulted in broad daylight while walking home from shul in Manchester City Center, an attack that has left him fearing permanent damage to his eyesight. Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime amid a surge in antisemitic violence across the UK.

The horrifying attack occurred earlier this month when the victim, who has chosen to remain anonymous, was approached from behind and struck with a hard glass object—believed to be a bottle—shattering his glasses and leaving his face covered in blood.

“I thought I could have been blinded in my right eye,” the victim told the Manchester Evening News.

“In the split second before, I gripped my phone tightly in case someone tried to grab it and did not have a chance to protect myself,” he recounted. “I was then hit extremely forcefully with what felt like a bottle around the right side of my face, instantly shattering my glasses and knocking me off balance.”

The force of the blow sent him reeling. Bleeding and disoriented, he was left to process what had just happened. Witnesses recall hearing his attacker scream “murderer” and blame him for “the war in Gaza.”

Paramedics assessed the victim’s injuries, which included severe bruising around his eye and multiple facial lacerations. He has since reported experiencing persistent black spots in his vision.

Two weeks after the attack, Greater Manchester Police confirmed that no arrests had been made. Meanwhile, the British charity Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) has stepped in, offering a £5,000 (approximately $6,300) reward for information leading to the suspect’s conviction.

“This victim’s testimony is horrific. At a time of surging antisemitism, incidents like these are becoming far too common, and those responsible must be held to account,” a spokesperson for CAA said.

For the victim, the psychological scars run just as deep as the physical ones.

“I’m apprehensive walking around and now get nervous anyone could attack me at any time,” he admitted. “I remain very traumatized by what happened.”

The attack comes as antisemitic crimes in the UK remain at near-record highs. Last week, the Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit that monitors threats against British Jews, reported that 2024 was the second-worst year on record for antisemitic incidents in the country.

Despite an 18% drop from 2023’s all-time high, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents in 2024, a stark contrast to 1,662 in 2022 and 2,261 in 2021. In Greater Manchester alone, home to the largest Jewish community outside London, 480 cases were reported last year.

These alarming figures coincide with a global surge in antisemitic incidents following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

In a joint statement addressing the violence, Greater Manchester Police and CST said: “Everyone should feel safe and welcome when visiting our city-region. Hate crimes in Greater Manchester will not be tolerated, and we will always endeavor to take action against those responsible to keep our communities safe.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)