A man who screamed at a rabbi at the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne got more than he bargained for after his ranting turned physical.

Rabbi Yoni Lowin squared up to the man, who was shouting, “Go back to Israel”.

The man then tried to attack the rabbi, who wrestled with him and pinned him to the ground.

A congregant videoed the incident and took the footage to the nearby Krav Maga IDF Training School, which teaches Israeli-style self-defence.

The IDF Training School's Avi Yemini said: "We didn't train Rabbi Lowin but he instinctively used techniques we teach. He's a natural. Others would have crumbled in that situation."

Posting the video on their Facebook page, Krav Maga/IDF Training wrote: "Respect to the rabbi for the perfect application of IDF Training techniques." The video has gone viral.