The shooting that left two dead and several injured in Halle, Germany, on the Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur has shined a spotlight on the worldwide rise of anti-Semitic incidents.
The attack in Germany, where investigators are pursuing anti-Semitic motives after the assailant reportedly shot at the door of a synagogue in an attempt to gain entry, drew swift condemnation from UN Secretary General António Guterres and renewed calls from Jewish groups in the US to step up cooperation in combating anti-Semitism.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
On Twitter, President Reuven Rivlin wrote that he was "stunned and pained by the terrible anti-Semitic murders in Germany today, during the holiest and most important day of the year for all Jews around the world. I call on the leaders of Germany and the free world to bring the full force of law against anti-Semitism and its results."
He said, "We will continue to campaign for education and remembrance in the fight anti-Semitism which raises its head again and again in Europe and across the world, based on … the clear understanding that it is not a problem of the Jews alone, but threatens to destroy us all."
Stunned and pained by the terrible anti-Semitic murders in Germany today, during the holiest and most important day of the year for all Jews around the world. I call on the leaders of Germany and the free world to bring the full force of law against anti-Semitism and its results.
— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) 9 באוקטובר 2019
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, which he said provided "additional testimony that anti-Semitism in Europe is increasing."
"On behalf of the people of Israel, I send condolences to the families of the victims and wishes for a quick recovery to the injured. I call on the German authorities to continue taking determined action against anti-Semitism," he said.
The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, called the synagogue shooting in Halle shocking and criticized the lack of protection of the synagogue by local authorities.
"We have not experienced an incident of this kind ever before in Germany. It shows that right-wing extremism is not only some kind of political development but that it is highly dangerous and exactly the kind of danger that we have always warned against," Schuster said on Wednesday.
He also called for better protection of the Jewish community in general.
"We have been saying for several years that anti-Semitism is real, it's resurgent, it's lethal and it's multi-sourced," American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris said in an interview.
Harris added that Wednesday's attack in Halle, coming on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the deadly shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue – the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history, "should all be triggering alarm bells. The question is whether they are."
Robert Bank, president and CEO of American Jewish World Service, issued a statement calling on people "of every background around the world to combat the increasing waves of hatred and intolerance against all people, including anti-Semitic, racist, Islamophobic, misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic violence."
On Twitter, Jewish Agency chief Isaac Herzog condemned "the shocking terrorist attack."
He said, "The entire world sees and hears what is happening and must understand that there can be no compromise in the fight against hatred of Jews and antisemitism."
Herzog said the Jewish Agency would support Halle's Jewish community.
"We share in the mourning of the families whose loved ones were murdered, wish the wounded a speedy recovery and send strength to the worshippers and members of the community who are in deep mourning."
"We will assist all parties, including the German government, in combating this horrible wave of antisemitism and in supporting and strengthening the Jewish community in Germany," he said.
Herzog noted that he had spoken with Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and that the senior German official had called the shooting "an attack on all of us. We all stand together on the frontlines against antisemitism." He said Maas had promised firm action against anti-Semitism in the country.
A brief look at the state of global anti-Semitism:
United States and Canada
The Anti-Defamation League, which called the Germany shooting "heartbreaking" in a Wednesday statement, reported earlier this year that violent anti-Semitic episodes in the United States doubled in 2018.
Wednesday's holy day of Yom Kippur also saw an anti-Semitic incident reported in New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statement condemning what he called "the desecration of a Holocaust memorial" in the city of White Plains on the eve of the holiday.
In Canada, the government reported a 4% dip in anti-Semitic attacks last year – but only after a sharp rise in 2017.
Europe
Anti-Semitism is a top concern in Germany, where data shows reported, anti-Semitic incidents rose 10% last year, according to Tel Aviv University's Kantor Center, and where the trial of a group of alleged neo-Nazis for planning an attack in Berlin began last week. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government earlier this year affirmed its commitment to protecting Jews who wear kippot from anti-Semitic threats.
But beyond Germany, several other nations are grappling with spiking reports of anti-Semitic sentiment as well as behavior.
In the United Kingdom, the Community Security Trust charity recently reported a 10% rise in anti-Semitic incidents during the first six months of this year. In the Czech Republic, the Federation of the Jewish Communities reported a rise in anti-Semitic incidents last year.
In Vilnius, Lithuania, the city's synagogue was recently shuttered over concerns the local Jewish community did not have the means to contend with increasing threats to the house of worship.
And in Turkey, Israeli tourists have reported having to send a copy of their passport to the office of one of the main synagogues in Istanbul before being allowed to visit. Upon arrival at the synagogue, visitors must undergo a security check in a room with bulletproof glass. Once inside, visitors discovered every seat had a helmet underneath, just in case.
