Man who attacked nun on CCTV in Jerusalem acquitted on grounds of mental health
A Jerusalem court said the Jewish attacker was having a psychotic episode when he assaulted the nun, in an incident which caused outrage.
A man who assaulted a nun in Jerusalem, an incident captured on CCTV, has been acquitted by an Israeli court on mental health grounds. The nun sustained bruising in the attack by Yona Schreiber.
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court determined that Yona Schreiber was experiencing a psychotic episode when he pushed and kicked the French nun in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem in April. The court ruled that he was not criminally responsible for his actions and mandated his placement in a psychiatric hospital for a period of up to six years.
The video footage of the assault sparked widespread condemnation and intensified concerns following an increase in harassment of Christian clergy and pilgrims by Jewish extremists in the Old City. The victim, who struck her head on a stone block, suffered bruises to her 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 this psychiatric assessment and requested Schreiber's acquittal and commitment to a hospital.
Judge Ofir Tishler stated that despite Schreiber's attack on the nun, he was ordering an acquittal due to his mental health condition.
At the time of the incident, the French Consulate in Jerusalem issued a strong condemnation of Schreiber's "aggression." The director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School, where the nun conducts research, characterized the assault as an "act of sectarian violence." Israeli police released the footage showing the French nun being attacked.
Israel's foreign ministry denounced the attack, labeling 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." The ministry further stated on X, "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."
While the level of violence in the attack on the nun is uncommon, Jerusalem's Old City has seen regular instances in recent years of religious Jews spitting at and acting aggressively towards individuals wearing Christian religious attire or symbols. Church properties have been vandalized, and bitter disputes have arisen from settler takeovers. Church leaders accuse Israel of attempting to alter the status quo – long-standing agreements regarding ownership and responsibilities – at their holy sites.
A 2025 report by the Rossing Center, a Jerusalem-based organization dedicated to fostering improved inter-faith relations in the Holy Land, noted a "recent surge in overt animosity towards Christianity," attributing this to "a continued deepening of polarisation and ultra-nationalist political trends."