Fourth person arrested over attack in Bondi

A FOURTH person has been charged in relation to the attack on a Jewish family in Bondi last month.

A 26-year-old man from Maroubra was charged with affray, possessing a knife in a public place and assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Maroubra Police Station on Monday.

He is the fourth person charged after two 17-year-old youths and a 23-year-old man were charged with affray after the October 26 attack.

At about 12.30am a Jewish family was walking home from Shabbat dinner when they were allegedly verbally abused for being Jewish on the corner of Glenayr Avenue and Blair Street in Bondi.

The incident escalated into a physical confrontation that left Eli Behar unconscious with internal bleeding in his head, his son Shlomo with a broken finger and stitches to his head, his son-in-law Zeev Aronstam with a broken nose and Jewish National Fund’s NSW shaliach Shlomo Ben-Haim, who was walking with the family, with a broken nose and an injury to his eye.

Eli’s wife Lea was also allegedly attacked in the incident and has scratches and bruises.

In an exclusive interview with The AJN just a few days after the attack, Lea said that she was not going to let the incident affect her. “I don’t want to change my life and I don’t want people to change their lives.

“I hope that it will never happen again. It should not happen again!”

Eli echoed the sentiment, saying “I am not going to take off my ­kippah.

“I don’t want to go and hide or feel threatened or scared of being Jewish in Sydney.”

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Yair Miller praised the police. “We can’t comment on any specifics but we thank the police for their ongoing efforts.”

If you have any information, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

JOSHUA LEVI

The Behar family.