Berlin woman attacked with broken glass bottle after wearing Star of David necklace, police say

A 43-year-old woman was attacked in central Berlin after two men noticed her Star of David necklace, hurled antisemitic insults at her, and allegedly assaulted her with a broken glass bottle.

The Berlin police opened an investigation on Saturday into a suspected antisemitic attack after a 43-year-old woman was targeted by two men who noticed the Star of David necklace she was wearing, directed antisemitic insults at her, and assaulted her with a broken glass bottle.

According to a police statement, the incident occurred at around 2:30 a.m. between Thursday and Friday on Torstrasse in the Mitte district of central Berlin. Two men, whose identities have not yet been determined, approached the woman after noticing the Star of David she was wearing.

They then hurled antisemitic insults at her, and at one point, one of them attacked her with a broken glass bottle.

Woman suffered cuts before suspects fled scene

The woman attempted to defend herself and suffered several cuts to one of her hands. The two suspects fled the scene following the attack.

Emergency responders treated her at the scene before taking her to a hospital for further care. Police did not provide further details at this stage regarding the woman’s condition or a description of the suspects.

The investigation has been transferred to the Berlin Criminal Police’s State Security Division, which handles offenses with political, extremist or antisemitic backgrounds. German authorities have not yet announced any arrests in the case.

The attack joins a long list of antisemitic incidents recorded in recent years in the German capital. According to Berlin authorities, 2,268 antisemitic offenses were recorded in the city in 2025, up 24.3% from the previous year. Sixty-four of the cases were classified as violent offenses.

Berlin reports continued rise in antisemitic incidents

In June, another investigation was launched after a 47-year-old man wearing a kippah was attacked in the Charlottenburg neighborhood. According to police, the suspect directed antisemitic insults at the man and his two children, spat at them and struck the man in the face. Police also transferred the investigation to the State Security Division.

A report by the Berlin public prosecutor’s office published in July said that 820 proceedings with an antisemitic background were opened during 2025, compared with 756 in 2024.

The prosecutor’s representative responsible for combating antisemitism warned that the number of incidents remains high and that attacks of this kind harm not only the direct victims, but also undermine the sense of security of the city’s Jewish community.