State Dept. Reports Growing Anti-Semitism a 'Global Problem'

The U.S. State Department’s annual report on international religious freedom this week describes that anti-Semitism continues “to be a major problem around the globe with increases in anti-Semitic incidents recorded in many countries.”

In particular, European countries such as France and Germany have experienced a rise in anti-Israel sentiment that often crossed over into anti-Semitism during the summer of 2014.

According to the report, there has been a 101-percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in France, including “numerous cases of physical violence against the Jewish community where individuals were targeted and beaten and synagogues were fire bombed.”

The report, citing a positive response to the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, said.

After the February 14-15 terrorist attacks in Denmark that killed a guard outside a synagogue and a filmmaker at a free speech event, thousands of people of different faiths formed a human ring outside the synagogue in Copenhagen to ‘send a powerful statement’ that ‘Jews should be able to have their religion in peace.’

Swedes and Norwegians also formed a human ring around their capitals’ main synagogues in an inter-faith show of support.