Man who attacked nun on CCTV in Jerusalem acquitted on grounds of mental health

An Israeli court has acquitted a Jewish man who attacked a nun in Jerusalem, in an incident caught on CCTV which drew widespread condemnation.

Jerusalem Magistrates Court said Yona Schreiber was experiencing a psychotic episode when he pushed over and kicked the French nun in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem in April. It ruled that he was not criminally responsible for his actions and ordered him to be sent to a psychiatric hospital for up to six years.

Video of the attack caused outrage, and deepened concerns after a rise in harassment of Christian clergy and pilgrims by Jewish extremists in the Old City.

The victim, who hit her head on a stone block, suffered a bruised face and leg.

Schreiber, 36, had been charged with assault motivated by hostility towards a religious group.

According to the district psychiatrist's report, Schreiber "was in a psychotic state at the time of the act and is not substantively fit to stand trial".

The prosecution accepted the psychiatrist's opinion and asked for Schreiber to be acquitted and committed to hospital.

Judge Ofir Tishler said that although Schrieber had attacked the nun, he was ordering his acquittal due to his mental health.

At the time of the attack, the French Consulate in Jerusalem said it strongly condemned Schreiber's "aggression".

The director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School, where the nun is a researcher, called the assault an "act of sectarian violence".

Israel's foreign ministry denounced the attack, calling it a "shameful act [which] stands in direct contradiction to the values of respect, coexistence, and religious freedom upon which Israel is founded and to which it remains deeply committed."

"Israel remains firmly committed to safeguarding freedom of religion and freedom of worship for all faiths, and to ensuring that Jerusalem remains a city where every community can live, pray, and practice its faith in safety and dignity," the ministry said on X.

While the violence of the attack on the nun is unusual, in the past few years in Jerusalem's Old City there have been regular cases of religious Jews spitting and acting aggressively towards those wearing Christian religious dress or symbols.

Church properties have been vandalised and there have also been bitter disputes caused by settler takeovers. Church leaders accuse Israel of trying to change the status quo – long-standing agreements on ownership and responsibilities - at their holy places.

A 2025 report by the Rossing Center, a Jerusalem-based organisation which aims to foster better inter-faith relations in the Holy Land, describes a "recent surge in overt animosity towards Christianity", putting this down to "a continued deepening of polarisation and ultra-nationalist political trends".

Related topics

More on this story