ONE of Scotland’s leading rabbis has revealed he was the victim of a violent anti- Semitic attack in which his religious headwear was thrown on the ground.

Rabbi Yossi Bodenheim, the Jewish Chaplain for Scottish universities, was with his children when his wife was shoved and his kippah pulled from his head.

The shocking incident happened in central Edinburgh less than half a mile from the Scottish Parliament.

Rabbi Bodenheim said the “hateful” attack early last month left his children distressed.

The attack comes just months after a Scottish Government funded study revealed one in six Jews in Scotland hide their identities and many are “afraid” to go about their lives. The rabbi revealed his ordeal while speaking to MSPs at the parliament. He told them: “My wife and I took our four young children for a walk in this beautiful city.

“However, as we were walking, a woman pushed my wife aside, grabbed my kippah, threw it on the ground and ran away. That took place less than a mile from here.”

Rabbi Bodenheim also claimed anti-Semitism is a problem on university campuses.

Police Scotland said they could not comment on the incident without knowing the exact location and date.