A French, Jewish father and his six-year-old son were targeted at a gas station near Milan on July 27. A mob assaulted the man chanting “Free Palestine” and “murderers,” reports The Times of Israel.
According to the victim –a 52-year-old French Jew who lives in France and gave his name only as Elie –the incident began when a cashier shouted “Free Palestine” upon noticing that he and his son were wearing kippahs.
He reported that more and more people inside the service station joined in the verbal abuse as he and his son made their way to the restroom. At least three individuals began pushing him, apparently trying to force him out of the rest area.
“I ended up on the ground, and they took advantage of that like animals, kicking me in the stomach,” Elie told Il Corriere della Sera newspaper. “Then one of them tried to pull me up and aimed a blow at my face, but I managed to block it. Amid the chaos of the scuffle, I caught a glimpse of my son, who thankfully, a woman had taken aside and was holding safely in a corner.
Commenting on the incident, Noemi Di Segni, the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, said “If simply being Jewish is enough to provoke such a violent attack –if a family cannot safely move through public spaces in this country –then the legitimisation of hatred and anti-Semitism has become viral. This is about everyone’s freedom being at risk. Holding on to respect and dignity for every person is the only path that protects us all.”
Elie said that when he started shouting for the police, his attackers stopped and went back upstairs. He also captured the anti-Semitism, which is being investigated, on video.
This comes at a time when anti-Semitic incidents are increasing in European countries. Germany reported a 75% increase in such incidents from 2021 to 2023 with the UK reporting an 82% increase. France has been found to have the largest increase of all with 185%. Recently this month, such incidents included an Israeli tourist being assaulted at a beach in Greece and 1,600 Israeli tourists being forced to reroute from Syros after being unwelcomed by demonstrators. Our president and CEO, Yael Eckstein, has spoken about having to change her family’s travel plans because of this precipitous rise in violence against Jews.
The only natural fear and hate that humans experience from birth is of the dark and heights –everything else is learned. As Yael says, we must continue to spread light and love in the face of darkness. The Fellowship takes Jewish security very seriously and recognizes that education and awareness are just as essential in fighting against anti-Semitism. It’s critical that we educate future generations so as not to fall into the same patterns of anger and hate.
