Three Jews attacked, one killed in separate antisemitic assaults around world

Orthodox Jew stabbed in Zurich, another beaten in Paris, and a third was shot and killed in San Diego.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Two religious Jews were seriously injured and one killed in separate antisemitic attacks in Switzerland, France and the U.S. over the last two days.

In the most recent incident, a fifteen-year-old knifed and seriously wounded an ultra-Orthodox man on Saturday night in Zurich, Switzerland.

Some news reports noted that he was a Muslim.

Witnesses said he shouted “Death to all Jews” and other antisemitic slurs as he attacked.

The 50-year-old, who was named as Meir Zvi Jung on a New York-based Orthodox website, was rushed to a hospital and his condition was stabilized.

Swiss media said the assailant was already arrested on the scene by the authorities. The city’s police department said that it was “explicitly includ[ing] the possibility” that this was “an antisemitic-motivated crime.”

The Swiss Association of Jewish Communities (SIG) said in a statement that it was “deeply shocked” at the attack and asked the community to “behave cautiously and prudently until further notice.”

Antisemitic incidents in Switzerland rose 68% in 2023 over the previous year, with over half of the events occurring after the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, sparking Israel’s ongoing war against the terrorist organization.

In Paris, a Jewish man in his sixties wearing a skullcap was beaten upon leaving synagogue Friday night.

His assailant reportedly called him “a dirty Jew” among other insults while punching and kicking him before running away.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin expressed his horror at the attack.

“Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this unspeakable act,” he posted to X Saturday, saying that his “initial information” was that it was antisemitic in nature.

He added that he had instructed local police to “reinforce surveillance of places frequented by our Jewish compatriots who must not be the victims of tragedies taking place in the Middle East.”

This includes having a police presence at schools as well as houses of worship during arrival and departure times.

In the most serious incident, Dr. Benjamin Harouni, an Orthodox dentist, was murdered Thursday afternoon at the clinic he ran with his father. Two other employees were also shot and wounded in the attack.

The police, who arrived as the shooting was still in progress, are credited with causing the suspect, Mohammed Abdulkareem (29), to flee quickly.

He was arrested in the evening after the police publicized the image of him and his truck on social media and people who saw the vehicle called the authorities, leading to a quick manhunt and capture.

Abdulkareem’s motivation is being reported as dissatisfaction with professional services received rather than antisemitism, but the FBI is involved in the investigation as it has been labeled a possible hate crime.

antisemitic violenceAntisemitismassaultsParisSan DiegoZurich