The number of antisemitic incidents worldwide has surged by 34% since the outbreak of the war, according to a new global antisemitism report published by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM). During the past week alone, 137 antisemitic incidents were recorded worldwide, including violent attacks on synagogues, threats, vandalism and incitement against Jews and Jewish institutions.
Scene of the attack at the synagogue in Michigan
(Footage: Reuters, ABC AFFILIATE WXYZ)
According to the report, 27 of the incidents were linked to the war with Iran. The perpetrators were reportedly motivated by support for the Iranian regime or by conspiracy theories and hatred directed at Jews and Israel. The Combat Antisemitism Movement said the findings reflect a continuing escalation in antisemitic incidents worldwide since the October 7 terror attack carried out by Hamas terrorists. The organization called on governments, law enforcement authorities and public institutions to act decisively against incitement, violence and threats targeting Jewish communities.
Data collected by the organization’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) shows that eight of the incidents occurred at synagogues around the world. Among them were a reported attack against a historic synagogue in Liege, Belgium, shootings targeting three synagogues in the Toronto area of Canada, and the arrest of suspects near synagogues in Oslo and Trondheim, Norway.
Police in Trondheim responded Thursday to an active security incident near a synagogue, while in Rotterdam, Netherlands, an extremist group calling itself “Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right” claimed responsibility for an attack targeting a site linked to the Jewish community. The group said it carried out three attacks against Jewish institutions or sites in Europe this week.
A particularly serious attack was narrowly prevented Thursday when security guards fatally shot an armed assailant who attempted to ram his vehicle into Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
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Parents arrived to pick up their children from educational institutions in Michigan
(Photo: AP Photo/Corey Williams)
Combat Antisemitism Movement CEO Sacha Roytman said Jews in the United States must show courage simply to attend synagogue.“The fight against antisemitism requires solidarity, action and responsibility from every leader, every institution and every citizen,” Roytman said. “Antisemitism is a moral decay in ou
r society, and it must be uprooted wherever and whenever it appears.”
In addition to the incidents surrounding synagogues, several other antisemitic incidents were documented during the week:
United States: Two Jewish men were attacked at a restaurant in San Jose, California, after they were heard speaking Hebrew. According to reports, the attackers shouted phrases including “Don’t mess with Iran” and other insults against Jews.
United States: According to media reports, the wife of New York City’s mayor, Rama Duwaji, liked several Instagram posts praising the October 7 attack.
United Kingdom: During a soccer match in Norwich, spectators shouted chants such as “dirty Jews,” “dirty Zionists” and “go back to the gas chambers” at students from the Jewish JFS school in London.
Germany: Authorities uncovered and foiled a plot by individuals linked to Hamas to plan attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany and across Europe.
First published: 20:05, 03.13.26