JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A Belzer Hasid was attacked by three teenagers riding electric scooters in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod on Saturday night, in the latest of a series of reported assaults targeting members of the city’s charedi community.

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The incident occurred at approximately 7:15 p.m. on Boskila Street in Ashdod’s District 3, as the man was walking home after evening prayers. According to the local news website Ashdodes, three minors riding electric scooters without license plates approached the man from behind and began throwing water balloons at him.

The first two balloons missed, but the third struck him directly in the face, soaking and reportedly ruining his shtreimel, the traditional fur hat worn by many Hasidic men on Shabbos and Jewish holidays.

The attackers allegedly laughed and shouted insults before fleeing on their scooters. “My entire shtreimel was soaked as the antisemitic hooligans roared with laughter,” the victim told Ashdodes.

After returning to the synagogue and describing the incident to fellow worshippers, he learned that other charedi residents had reportedly experienced similar harassment in the area over the past six months. “After hearing that this wasn’t the first time residents had been attacked on this street, I’m afraid to walk there,” he said. “Things like this must not be allowed to continue.”

The latest incident follows several reports of harassment and violence against charedi residents in Ashdod, some involving young perpetrators using electric scooters to approach victims and escape quickly.

In late August, a charedi man walking home with his wife and young daughters shortly after midnight on Friday night was reportedly attacked by a teenager riding an electric scooter in the city’s City District.

According to local reports, the teenager shouted insults and threw a burning cigarette butt at the man’s back. The cigarette struck his clothing without causing serious injury. The family was left frightened, while another teenager, apparently acquainted with the attacker, subsequently approached and apologized.

In October 2025, a charedi father walking with his son on Dov Gur Street in District 6 was reportedly struck on the head by one of two teenagers riding a scooter, knocking his shtreimel off.

The victim said the teenagers returned to the area shortly afterward, apparently searching for another target. Other residents described similar incidents, including an attack in which girls were sprayed with pepper spray by youths riding scooters. A police source told Arutz Sheva at the time that many such incidents were never formally reported, making it difficult for police to investigate and take action.

Another particularly serious incident was reported in November 2025, when a group of Haredi men in District 8 were attacked with pepper spray by a passerby. The victims suffered eye irritation and required medical treatment.

The local news outlet Haredim Ashdod also reported that a charedi man had been targeted days earlier in District 3 by scooter and bicycle riders who threw eggs at his face and head.

In April 2026, the same outlet reported that a group of teenagers assaulted charedi swimmers during designated separate swimming hours at the Beit Lavron swimming pool in District 6. A security guard who attempted to intervene was also reportedly attacked.

Although residents have described these incidents as anti-charedi attacks, authorities have not publicly established whether the various cases are connected or motivated by religious hatred.

Following Saturday night’s incident, residents are calling on Ashdod police and municipal enforcement authorities to take immediate action. They are urging investigators to examine security camera footage along Boskila Street, particularly near a local religious public school, in the hope of identifying the three suspects. Residents also want increased police patrols and stronger enforcement against scooter riders involved in harassment and violence.

Ashdod authorities have previously conducted enforcement operations targeting electric scooters and bicycles. During one operation in August, municipal inspectors and security personnel carried out 11 enforcement actions involving two-wheeled vehicles as part of a broader public safety initiative.