On 28 April a French sister working as a researcher at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research in Jerusalem suffered a violent attack by a Jewish settler as she was walking between the entrance to the Tomb of David and the Upper Room in the Mount Zion district of Jerusalem. The perpetrator rushed up behind her, violently pushing her to the ground, and proceeded to kick her before a bystander intervened. The attack was captured on CCTV. The sister suffered multiple bruises to her face and leg and required medical care.
This sister has been deeply touched by expressions of care and sympathy, writing that these “show that many of you condemn this rise in hostility toward the Christian community and are concerned about the escalating violence in the country. I share your concerns. With God’s help, I hope that good will come from the harm of this attack and that the authorities will do what is necessary to ensure everyone’s safety, without discrimination.”
The sister has given permission for excerpts from her email to be used to mobilise prayer.
“Sustained by my Christian faith, I forgive the man who attacked me. However, I am determined that justice be served and that everything be done to ensure this never happens again.”
“…. silence and inaction can make us complicit in the harm done by others: between the man who struck me and those who witnessed the entire scene and stood by without doing anything, I don’t know what hurt me more. I don’t know the reasons for their inaction, but I understand that it could have cost me my life if others hadn’t intervened. The bravery of the man who ran to my aid and the support of the two women who were with him were invaluable.”
On 29 April, the Israeli authorities arrested the suspect: Yona Schreiber, 36, from the West Bank settlement of Peduel.
Prayer Points
Please pray that:
- The sister will continue to experience physical and emotional healing from the attack,
- The perpetrator will repent of his actions and seek forgiveness,
- The Israeli authorities will effectively tackle rising animosity and extremism against the Christian community,
- There will be peace in the Holy Land.
