The attack on the Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, TX on Saturday comes amid a growing sense of fear among Jewish communities in the US.
"Thank God it ended well, but it could have also ended very badly," Chairman of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Hagoel told Israel Hayom. According to Hagoel, who is also the de facto chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, "We have had our concerns for many years, and although synagogues have long been a potential target, this has been more evident in recent years."
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Hagoel further said, "We see antisemitism getting stronger, and antisemitic incidents have increased around the world; social media has been fueling radicals who want to hurt Jews." He lamented that "one can go on social media and get guides on how to perpetrate an attack."
Antisemitic attacks against Jewish institutions, not a new phenomenon in Europe, have gradually become more common in the US as well due to social media. The 2018 massacre in Pittsburgh and the deadly shooting in Poway have shown just how bad things have become. The Jewish Federations of North America have recently launched a campaign to raise $54 million to provide security to Jewish synagogues and institutions.
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