BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES
Attacks Against Christians and Jews in America
Two Kindergarten children were shot and critically injured while playing on their school’s playground in northern California, by a man claiming false ‘genocide’ about Israel’s role in Gaza. This attack is one in a series of deeply disturbing incidents rocking Christian and Jewish communities around the world.
Without warning and unprovoked, the attacker shot 5-year-old Elias Wolford and 6-year-old Roman Mendez where the students were playing at the Feather River School of Seventh Day Adventists in Oroville, CA. Sheriff Kory Honea: “It’s very likely they’re going to have to have a number of surgeries going forward. But the fact that they are currently still with us is a miracle and something we should all be thankful for.” The attack reminds us that violent ideologies thrive on targeting the innocent, at times ignoring their background or actual ethnicity.
In Laguna Beach, CA, a Palestinian-Iranian man seriously injured an Israeli-American man in what appears to be an attempted vehicular attack. The suspect asked the young man and his friends to identify their nationality while waiting for a taxi, and then attacked them and ultimately tried to run them over. “This is the first time I have encountered such violence,” recounted one of the victims. “We tried to calm the situation and avoid a confrontation, but the suspect acted maliciously and with intent to harm.” In another incident nearby, another group of young men were asked where they and their parents were from, being told “we’re looking for Israelis.”
The calculated nature of these attacks – a question about identity, then violence – reflects the same chilling intent seen throughout history: Jews being singled out simply for being Jews. American Jews were previously asked about their identity on the streets in CA and on university campuses across the country this year. In previous years, American Jews have been hunted in acts of hatred, including synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway, CA, and the hostage situation in Colleyville, TX. The assaults are not confined to one political group or ideology. Whether driven by far-right extremism, far-left activists or Islamist radicalization, attacks against Jews are a blaring alarm that no society can afford to ignore.
From a school shooting and a car ramming attack in California to a horrifying arson attack on a synagogue in Australia, where worshippers were praying inside, and a brutal “Jew hunt” in the Netherlands, these are not isolated events – they are symptoms of ailing societies. While Jews are the primary target, these attacks signal broader, systemic moral failures that threaten the very foundation of human rights and democracy. History teaches us that hatred against Jews rarely stops there. It is a cancer that metastasizes, spreading to other vulnerable groups, tearing apart communities and destabilizing nations.
Violent Attacks Against Jews Intensify Around the World
Masked attackers firebombed the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, reducing sacred prayer books and Torah scrolls to ashes, injuring a worshipper. Investigators consider the incident a terror attack. Jewish leaders have expressed outrage at the government’s inaction, pointing out that efforts to form a task force to address antisemitism came only after the attack, not before. It was at least the third arson attack against Jews since June.
One day before the latest arson attack, anti-Israel activists – supported by staff and students from local universities – protested outside The Great Synagogue in Sydney, forcing the Jews praying inside to enter a lockdown. Attacks against Jews have quadrupled in Australia since the 10/7 massacres.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry leader Alex Ryvchin: “For over a year we have seen racist mobs impeding on the rights and freedoms of ordinary Australians. Our security and place in society has been eroded. I urge our Prime Minister and our government to contemplate and reflect on how it has come to this. Under their leadership a house of prayer has been burned.” Ironically, police arrested a rabbi in October for disturbing the peace after he waved an Australian flag across the street from an anti-Israel rally.
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, violence took an even darker turn. Following a soccer match involving an Israeli team, Jewish fans were chased and beaten by violent Muslim and Arab gangs. Calls for a “Jew hunt” circulated on social media beforehand, fueling the attack and showing how easily online rhetoric translates into real-world violence. As in CA, pedestrians were asked about their identity. One man stated that he was not Jewish, but was punched in the face anyway. Anti-Israel activists are emboldened around the world by government inactivity. Increasingly hostile incidents are happening across the U.S., Canada, France, the UK and across Europe reflect this global pattern of hatred.
On a positive note, more than 30,000 Jews and their allies – Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Iranians – recently braved the rain to rally in support of the local Jewish community in London. They held banners, “Act against hate before it’s too late,” and waved British and Israeli flags. Another sign read, “Dear Jews, You aren’t facing terrorism and hate alone because you are ABSOLUTELY NOT alone. We are PROUDLY standing with you guys. Love always.”
A. Contact Jewish organizations for support after antisemitic attacks | When attacks happen, you are not alone. Organizations including the Israeli American Council’s SHIELD – in partnership with the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law – provides support for Israeli and Jewish students, faculty and staff facing antisemitism on campus and StandWithUs StaySAFE offers resources to help students during their university studies.
B. Use social media to spread news coverage | Help raise awareness of attacks because the local news media are struggling financially and cannot adequately cover the volume of news stories. Use your social media platforms and conversations to share reliable coverage and amplify these local stories to ensure the truth is heard, to counter silence and demand attention from leaders. Be the voice where others fall short.
C. Ask your Senators to pass the Antisemitism Awareness bill | The Antisemitism Awareness bill recently failed again to pass in the U.S. Senate, but action is still possible. Contact your Senators and urge them to support this critical legislation. Elected officials have a duty to protect communities from hate. Remind them that combating attacks on Jews must come before partisanship – it is our moral responsibility.
Iranian Axis Continues to Crumble as Syria’s Assad Regime Defeated
Syrian rebels have defeated Iranian-backed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and toppled his ruthless regime in a rapid assault that took the world by complete surprise. He flew with his family to Russia where he was granted asylum. Assad led a brutal civil war that killed more than 500,000 of his own citizens and forced millions more to flee. He had used chemical weapons against his own civilians. His regime was supported by Russian airstrikes, Iranian funding and weaponry – all used against his own citizens. The successful rebel offensive was led by Islamist jihadists from the former Syrian branch of 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden’s al-Qaida terror group.
It is unclear what will happen next, with some experts comparing the rebel leaders to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Islamist militants in the Syrian capital declared that they will conquer Israel and Saudi Arabia next. The Israeli and American militaries took pre-emptive action. The Israeli Defense Forces created a buffer zone on its border with Syria and its fighter jets destroyed deadly weapons arsenals before they fell into rebel hands. The U.S. Central Command conducted dozens of airstrikes to eliminate Islamic state terrorist camps. Many experts suggest that Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” is crumbling and some credit Israel’s military success against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas for this turn of events. There are widespread implications for American and Israeli regional security interests which are yet to be fully grasped given the volatility in the region.
Stories Impacting the U.S. and Israel
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This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with MERCAZ USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. MERCAZ USA recognizes and respects the diversity of views on these issues among its readers and the community at large.