Man, 44, charged with attempted murder after Rabbi dad-of-six stabbed in the street
A MAN has been charged with attempted murder after a rabbi was stabbed in north west London.
Witnesses pinned a suspect to the floor after Rabbi Alter Yaakov Schlesinger, in his 50s, was knifed in the head in broad daylight.
Police said Stanley Francis, 44, from Stoke Newington, was also charged with possessing an offensive weapon and will appear in custody at Thames Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Rabbi Alter Yaacov Schlesinger, who is in his 50s, was taken to a major trauma centre after the broad daylight attack near a bank in Stoke Newington on Friday. Police said his condition was not life-threatening.
His attacker was restrained by members of the public until police arrived.
One of them, construction site manager Lazar Friedlander, said he ran to the scene with his brother after hearing a "serious scream".
He said: "We ran outside, I saw a Jewish man covered in blood.
"There were a couple of other people trying to grab him. Me and my brother managed to force him down and put his hands behind his back until the police came."
The Rabbi had reportedly been queuing outside a branch of Natwest bank when he was attacked.
He was taken to hospital after receiving emergency treatment at the scene.
Scotland Yard is investigating whether it was a hate crime.
Jacob Tscher paid tribute to Yaakov today, calling him a "well-respected leader" in Stamford Hill's Jewish community.
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The 62-year-old told the Sun Online: "The hospital left a voicemail message on Yakov’s family phone at 11am saying he is in a stable condition.
"They said the blade passed within a millimetre of his lung. He has wounds on his head, back and neck, but he will pull through.
"He is an icon in the community everyone knows him."
