The Kahal Adass Jisroel community building complex includes a synagogue, a kindergarten, a religious school, and a community center.
QUICK FACTS:
- Two individuals threw Molotov cocktails at a Jewish synagogue in Berlin, Germany at around 3:45 a.m. on October 18.
- During the police investigation, a man attempted to approach the synagogue and cried out antisemitic phrases.
- “We are all shocked by this terrorist attack,” according to a statement from the Central Council of Jews, Germany’s prominent Jewish organization. “Above all, the families from the neighborhood around the synagogue are shocked and unsettled. Words become deeds. Hamas’ ideology of extermination against everything Jewish is also having an effect in Germany.”
- The European Jewish Congress (EJC) also released a statement on X saying, “We utterly condemn a petrol bomb attack this morning at the Kahal Adass Jisroel synagogue in Berlin.”
- “It is a matter of deep concern across our communities that the violent rhetoric against Jews and Israel has so swiftly transferred to violent attacks against Jews in Europe,” EJC President Ariel Muzicant stated. “It is almost as if antisemites in Europe are seeking to copy the barbarism of Hamas.”
FEAR RISES AMID ATTACKS:
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared, “It outrages me personally what some of them are shouting and doing, and I am convinced that Germany’s citizens are of the same opinion as me.”
- Rabbi Shlomo Afanasev explained that he no longer wants to be “openly Jewish,” due to concerns about being attacked.
- “We felt until today very safe here. And never thought something like this could happen in this area. In the middle of Berlin,” he explained, adding that he plans to wear a baseball hat to cover his skullcap. “I don´t want to be openly Jewish … outside, because it doesn´t feel safe anymore. Unfortunately.”
- Since Hamas attacked Israel and called for a “global Muslim uprising,” European countries have been on high alert for antisemitic activity and terror threats.
- Several European leaders have called for pro-Hamas demonstrations to be considered illegal activity amid numerous protests and several deaths.
BACKGROUND:
- American Faith reported that the Louvre Museum in Paris was evacuated and closed after receiving a bomb threat.
- “Dear visitors, For security reasons, the Musée du Louvre is closing its doors today, Saturday, October 14. Those who have booked a visit during the day will be reimbursed. Thank you for your understanding,” the museum posted on its X account.
- The bomb threat occurred a day after a French teacher was stabbed to death in a suspected Islamic extremist terror attack.
