A man has admitted to striking a rabbi over the head with a brick outside a synagogue in Chigwell.
Rabbi Rafi Goodwin needed hospital treatment for head injuries after he was attacked on May 16 last year outside the Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue in Limes Avenue.
Souraka Djabouri, 19, admitted grievous bodily harm without intent at Chelmsford Crown Court, a court official said.
Prosecutors dropped charges against a second defendant from Fairlop, 26-year-old Abderrahman Brahimi, offering no evidence at an earlier hearing.
The victim was then verbally abused with his Jewish faith referenced. He was also spat on.