AT around 9.55pm on Friday, 29 November, police received a report of an assault on Amhurst Road, N16.
It was also alleged that the suspects shouted anti-Semitic abuse during the attack. Officers attended the scene but found no trace of a victim or any witnesses.
The following day, police were notified by a third party that a man had told them he had been assaulted the previous evening on Amhurst Road. Enquiries are continuing, including speaking to those who reported witnessing the incident and gathering CCTV from nearby premises.
Images have been released by the police of two they would like to speak to regarding the assault.
Security group Shomrim said that the senior religious leader, who was visiting the UK for a family wedding, was thrown to the ground by two men after he had left the Bobov Synagogue in Egerton Road.
Shomrim said the rabbi, who sits in a Judaic court as a judge, was left “collapsed on the pavement, bleeding and dazed where he lay for several minutes”. He has since flown back to Israel and is said to be traumatised by what happened.
Detective Superintendent Adam Ghaboos, from the Met’s Central East BCU, said: “Shockingly, hate crime affects people from all walks of life and impacts on communities across London. All members of our communities have the right to walk the streets without fear of verbal or physical abuse. The Met does not tolerate any form of discrimination, and we are committed to tackling offences like this as thoroughly as possible.
“Since this incident was reported, we have been working hard alongside the community and key partners to establish the circumstances of what happened. I want to reassure the community that we take offences of this nature extremely serious and are doing what we can to progress this investigation.
“We have now located and spoken to the victim, who travelled abroad shortly after this incident. He is supporting us in progressing our investigation. While we carry out a number of inquiries, we are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying two males we would like to speak to in connection with this incident. They are pictured in these images at Stamford Hill station.
“Anyone who believes they witnessed the incident or has further information on the identity of the males pictures should call 07500 850625 quoting CAD 6332/30Nov.
“We are particularly keen to speak to a female who was at the scene, wearing a white jacket with a shopping trolley, to contact us. Her account of events will form a key part of our inquiries.”
We would urge anyone with information about hate crime to contact police immediately via 101 or through Twitter @MetCC – in an emergency, phone 999; this will enable to use to act as quickly as possible to catch those responsible.
You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously to report crime on 0800 555 111.