A 14-year-old Gerrer yeshiva bochur was the target of hoodlums in Arad, who chased after him and beat him, leaving him moderately injured.

The incident occurred during the predawn hours on Shabbos, when the bochur was heading to toivel in the mikve before shachris. The bochur spotted the hoodlums, and feared they were going to go after him. He tried running, but to no avail. They caught him and beat him without mercy, leaving him moderately injured and with a fractured ankle, as he stumbled down stairs.

The victim was transported to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva, where it appears he will have to undergo surgery to repair the facture. The family asks the tzibur to be mispallel for him, Ephraim ben Yehudis bsoch shar cholei yisrael.

The Gerrer community in Arad feels the attack was a hate crime as there are mounting tensions between the Gerrer community in the city and the secular residents, who feel Gerre is trying to overrun the city and make it chareidi.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)