Nuns and priests speak of repeated assaults in the Holy City, while a Religious Freedom Data Center report points to a significant rise in anti-Christian incidents
English adaptation and editorial rewriting: Sanad Sahelia
Original report: RT, by journalist Charlotte Dubenskij
Jerusalem - Testimonies from members of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem describe repeated incidents of harassment and abuse, including verbal insults, spitting, and stone throwing, which members of the mission say they have experienced in the Holy City. The accounts come amid growing concerns over incidents targeting Christians or individuals perceived as non-Jewish.
In a video report produced by journalist Charlotte Dubenskij for RT, Sister Elizaveta of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem spoke about an experience she said had a profound impact on her and her fellow sisters.
Elizaveta said that four nuns were attacked with stones at the end of July while returning from a night service in the Holy City.
She recalled that they had completed their prayers at the “Tomb of the Lord” and left through the “New Gate”, where they encountered several police officers and exchanged greetings and smiles with them. However, shortly afterwards, near Notre Dame, the nuns began hearing, according to her account, shouting and insults in Hebrew.
The nuns attempted to continue walking and ignore the provocations, but a red traffic light forced them to stop while crossing the road, before the group approached them, according to her testimony.
Elizaveta said: “The stones started flying. I noticed that they were throwing them with great force. It was not simply throwing stones to scare someone, it was a blow intended to cause harm.”
She added that some of the stones struck the nuns, including one that hit her fellow sister Antonia in the chest, saying: “Thank God the attack was not fatal.”
Elizaveta said the incident left the nuns deeply frightened, adding: “That very first night we were so scared, we were paralysed with fear. I can honestly say that for the first time, I was afraid to go out alone the next morning. I mean, we were never afraid before. Never.”
Rise in Anti-Christian Incidents
According to RT’s report, a study by the Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC), a Jewish organization, recorded an increase in anti-Christian incidents in Israel during the second quarter of 2026.
According to figures cited in the report, 83 anti-Christian incidents were recorded in the second quarter, compared with 44 in the first quarter, bringing the number close to doubling within three months.
Yisca Harani, founder and director of the center, said that the incidents being documented may represent only part of the wider problem.
Harani said she believes the social atmosphere in Israel has become increasingly tense, with a growing tendency toward an “us versus them” mentality in recent years.
She said: “There is a feeling, especially in the last three years, since October 7, 2023, that the increasing tension has turned people’s thinking into a black-and-white mentality. Either you are Jewish or Israeli, or you are an enemy, meaning the rest of the world.”
According to the RT report, Harani links part of the problem to limited knowledge about Christianity within Israeli society, arguing that many perceptions of Christians are shaped by historical experiences and traumas experienced by Jews.
She said that, in such a charged atmosphere, seeing a cross may lead some individuals to associate Christians with extreme stereotypes.
Attacks Beyond Stone Throwing
RT also reported on another incident that took place in April and was captured on surveillance cameras. The footage showed a man wearing a Jewish skullcap and ritual tzitzit fringes attacking a nun from behind, before returning to kick her while she was lying on the ground.
According to the report, the attack sparked international condemnation and criticism from Israeli politicians, and the suspect was later arrested.
The report also presented footage that it said showed young Jewish individuals spitting and throwing stones toward the entrance of St. James Monastery in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter.
According to RT, Israeli police said that six individuals, including five minors and one adult, had been detained as part of the investigation.
In another incident, Father Makari of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem described an attempt to set fire to the road in front of a vehicle he was travelling in, in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem.
He said: “We drove through the Mea Shearim neighborhood... and while we were standing at the traffic light, they were trying to pour some kind of flammable liquid on the road in front of us, and then they set it on fire.”
Father Makari explained that the vehicle was carrying diplomatic plates and had no religious symbols, describing the incident as a serious escalation compared with previous attacks, which he said had involved bottles and stones being thrown at vehicles.
He added: “Usually, bottles fly toward the car... stones... but never before had something been set on fire next to a gas station. This is something new.”
Russian Ambassador Raises the Issue with Israeli Authorities
Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov told RT that his office is treating the incidents targeting representatives of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission with the utmost seriousness.
Viktorov described the incidents as “absolutely unacceptable,” warning of their psychological impact on clergy members and their potential effect on interfaith relations.
He said: “This is an absolutely unacceptable situation, as it has a negative psychological impact on representatives of the clergy, calls into question interreligious peace and harmony, balance and the status quo in interreligious relations, and generally sends bad signals to Christians about the supposed undesirability of their presence here in the Holy Land.”
The ambassador added that he had held meetings with senior Israeli police officials to discuss the issue, saying that, in his assessment, Israeli authorities understood the seriousness of the situation.
He also said that the teenagers accused of throwing stones at Sister Elizaveta and the other nuns had been detained, while stressing the need for further efforts to address individuals who have been radicalized.
“Children Are Being Taught Hatred”
Sister Elizaveta believes that confronting hatred must also begin through education and within families.
She described instances in which she said Jewish children smiled at her, only for their parents to intervene and tell them not to do so.
She said: “There were several cases when parents teach their kids how to hate Christians. The last time I met such a family, the father was walking with the children, and the children were smiling at me because I was smiling at them.”
She added that the children’s expressions changed after their father intervened, moving from confusion to fear and then anger. She warned that the greatest danger is for a child to grow up believing that Christians should be treated in such a way.
Between Official Statements and the Reality Experienced by Christians
The report comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated, according to RT, that Israel provides a safe environment for Christians to practice their faith.
However, testimonies presented by Christians in the RT report portray a different reality, with some saying they feel pressured to leave the places where they live, while others fear walking through Jerusalem with visible Christian symbols.
According to the report, incidents including spitting, verbal abuse, and stone throwing have become increasingly visible, while some victims remain reluctant to file complaints or speak publicly about what they experienced due to fears of possible consequences.
Yisca Harani stressed that responsibility does not lie with Israeli society as a whole, pointing out that there are “hundreds and thousands” of people who do not take part in such attacks.
The report places the issue of attacks against Christians in Jerusalem within a broader context, bringing together testimonies from individuals who say they experienced direct assaults, figures provided by the Religious Freedom Data Center, and Israeli and Russian official statements, while noting that the actual scope and prevalence of the phenomenon remain subject to ongoing documentation and debate.
Source and Credits:
Original source: RT, “Christians are under siege in Jerusalem”, report by journalist Charlotte Dubenskij.
English adaptation and editorial rewriting: Sanad Sahelia.
Original video: RT. Full credit to RT, journalist Charlotte Dubenskij, and the original report.