Israeli-Palestinian Strife Stirs Antisemitism in Europe

By Arielle Karni ‘26
In recent years, the number of violent antisemitic attacks against Jewish communities in Europe has spiked, usually in response to violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Many of these attacks are carried out in the name of Islamist extremist groups who deny Israel’s right to exist.

“The dynamic is as follows: hostilities begin in Gaza or Judea [the Biblical name of the West Bank], or at mosques and online in France, it brews for a few days, then Friday comes, there are prayers at the mosque, and the violence is unleashed at a demonstration,” explained former chief policeman of the French police unit, Sammy Ghozlan, in the Times of Israel.
In major cities throughout Europe, Jews are afraid to wear kippot, Stars of David and clothing with Hebrew writing.  Haredi Jews whose Jewish appearance and identity are harder to camouflage are subject to daily attacks as they walk on the streets. Jewish-owned businesses, concert halls and restaurants where Jews gather are constantly targeted as well.”
“The point in which one is scared to show signs of his belief is the point that we should become concerned,” said freshman Marley Fischer.
Although the Arab-Israeli conflict began before Israel even became a state, the Second Intifada, an Arab uprising in Gaza and the West Bank from 2000-2005, began this trend of reactive antisemitism in Europe. Following the revolt, European Jews suffered a wave of hate crimes as European Muslims expressed their disapproval of Israel through violence against Jews. 
In 2000, directly following the start of the Intifada, there were hundreds of documented antisemitic attacks: in France, synagogues were torched and protests against Jews led to riots; in Greece, a Jewish cemetery was vandalized; in Bamberg, Germany, a Jewish family’s home was bombed; and in Romania, vandals attacked a Jewish history museum, declaring they wanted “the soap made of human fat,” which was used in Nazi-run concentration camps. 
Freshman Brandon Schall says, “Disgusting acts like these make me worried for the future of Europe, as it is such a gorgeous place.”
The ripple of antisemitic attacks in Europe continued throughout and after the Second Intifada, as a reaction to the frequent violence between Israel and Palestine, with the ADL reporting a “spectacular rise of antisemitic acts since the Second Intifada.” 
“While European Jewish communities primarily wish to live their lives in peace, mosques throughout Europe teach that it is acceptable and even admirable to carry out political violence against innocent Jewish civilians, wherever they may be in the world,” said Daniel Pomerantz, an Israeli commentator, journalist and former CEO of Honest Reporting. “Such political violence stands squarely against European values. In the long run, no group will be immune from such attacks unless European societies take decisive action to restore peace, coexistence and European social values.”