A recent surge in antisemitic incidents worldwide has drawn attention following a violent attack on a Jewish father near Milan, Italy. The victim, named as Elie, a 52-year-old French Jew, was attacked at a petrol station while wearing a kippah. Eyewitnesses claim that the incident was initiated after one cashier yelled, “Free Palestine.” This led to a violent mob assault on Elie and his young son.
Data indicates seriously troubling trends in antisemitism across Europe, including major upticks in countries with large Jewish populations. Similarly, in Germany, antisemitic incidents have increased by 75% between 2021 and 2023. France suffered an equivalent tsunami of 185%. The United Kingdom experienced a remarkable 82% jump over the same timeframe. These numbers highlight a very troubling climate of hate that has invaded communities globally.
Elie described in vivid detail the harrowing experience of when an angry mob forced him to the ground. In response, they repeatedly kicked him in the stomach while yelling, “Free Palestine,” “murderers,” and other threats. He was startled to be so personally targeted in Italy. For he had long viewed it as a progressive, tolerant and relatively safe haven for Jews.
“Given the climate of hatred that has developed across Europe toward the Jewish community, I expected it. But I never thought it would happen to me, especially not in Italy, which I had always considered a tolerant country, a place where one could feel safe.” – Elie
This attack on Elie reflects the current trend of antisemitic violence that we have been seeing in a much more pronounced and alarming way. For instance, a cruise liner carrying Israeli tourists was forced to reroute to Cyprus after protests erupted over the ongoing Gaza conflict. Over 300 demonstrators made a strong quartering the Israeli tourists. Their actions increased dangers to safety and prevented the cruise ship passengers from safely disembarking.
An Israeli tourist had a terrifying brush with antisemitism while vacationing in Greece. Sonny was attacked by an assailant who savagely bit a chunk of his ear off, leaving him with gruesome injuries. Judging by the urgent language authorities use to describe the assailant, they arrested him for making racist statements prior to the racially motivated attack.
Now, Jewish community leaders are rising to the challenge of fighting this dangerous new trend of normalization of antisemitism. They are standing up against this increasing wave of hatred. Noemi Di Segni, the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, made clear the immediate need to act. She emphasized that we need to address this issue now. She stated:
“If simply being visibly Jewish is enough to provoke such a violent attack – if a family cannot safely move through public spaces in this country – then the legitimisation of hatred and antisemitism has become viral. This is about everyone’s freedom being at risk. Holding on to respect and dignity for every person is the only path that protects us all.” – Noemi Di Segni
Marina Rosenberg, senior vice-president for international affairs at the Anti-Defamation League. Her own words reflected this, as she said that millions of Jews around the world are now being forced to armour themselves and conceal their Jewish identifiers because of fear for their safety.
The situation has escalated beyond isolated incidents. In a more recent, and sadly, less shocking bout of police violence in France, police shot an Algerian man multiple times. He’d previously burned down a synagogue in Rouen and had attacked police officers with a knife. This incident is just one example of the increasingly hostile climate towards Jewish communities in Europe.
As antisemitic violence continues to rise, community leaders and advocates are calling for increased awareness and action against hatred in all its forms. We need to be clear—these attacks jeopardize personal safety. In doing so, they shrink the space for the values of tolerance and coexistence that should define our diverse societies.