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Arson, Anti-Semitism and Gaza

Reports from throughout the globe seem to point to a significant increase in anti-semitic attacks against Jews in response to the fighting in Gaza.  In France, a car strapped with a gasoline bomb rammed a synagogue in ToulouseWhile in the outskirts of Paris, a young girl was beaten by a group of teenagers reportedly shouting, "You’ll pay for what the Israelis are doing in Gaza."  It is important to note that Mohammed Moussaoui, a French Muslim community leader, condemned the synagogue attack as being inexcusable.

Belgian Jews have also been targeted, including a Molotov cocktail attack on a synagogue, and the stoning of a Jewish day school. Remarkably, as reported by the Copenhagen Post, the headmaster of a school in southern Denmark "publicly admitted he would refuse Jewish parents’ wish to place their child at his school" citing tensions and security concerns for Jewish students.

Meanwhile, in the UK, three youths attempted to light a synagogue on fire in northwest London, while in Sweden a synagogue was also the victim of an arson attack.  Even in Australia (has anyone ever met a hateful Aussie outside of the Gibson family?), a Sydney Jewish resident was attacked, while a Melbourne synagogue was the target of anti-Israeli defacement.

In light of the warnings of Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar that Jews "have legitimized the murder of their own children," Jewish organizations are mobilizing in order to re-visit security precautions. All precautions are wise and necessary, of course. In drawing attention to these attacks, organizations face an intriguing balancing act. While these attacks deserve attention, particularly given the violent rhetoric utilized at anti-Israeli rallies, it is also important for those concerned with the spike in anti-semitic violence to avoid polemical comparisons, parallels that Jewish organizations correctly protest on a regular basis.

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