Jewish communities are now clearly on the front lines of violence and hatred. Since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, antisemitism has surged globally. Jews are regularly assaulted on the streets, synagogues vandalised, and Jewish institutions increasingly targeted simply because they are Jewish.

Now the antisemites have a new excuse. With the current military operation against the murderous and genocidal Iranian regime, this hatred of Jews has intensified yet again. Over the past week alone, several synagogues around the world have been attacked, reinforcing a disturbing pattern: whenever tensions involving Israel escalate, Jews everywhere become targets.

In the Belgian city of Liège, a massive explosion damaged a synagogue, shattering its windows and those of nearby buildings. Yet even as officials denounced the violence, lawmakers warned that a climate of impunity toward antisemitism had helped make such incidents possible.

These attacks are not restricted to Europe. Last week, multiple synagogues in Toronto were targeted by gunfire in a series of attacks. We are already all too familiar with Jewish holidays being marked by murderous attacks against Jews: last Yom Kippur, on the holiest day of the Jewish year, in a Manchester synagogue and a barbarous carnage at a Hannukkah celebration on Bondi Beach.

These incidents are part of a broader global pattern, in which Jews and Jewish institutions are now targets whenever antisemites feel the need to exploit any conflict around the world.

These attacks do not emerge in a vacuum. They are fueled by a toxic ecosystem of incitement, primarily from Islamists. No other community is attacked because of religious, national, or ethnic ties to countries involved in conflicts around the world. There are dozens of conflicts currently raging around the world, yet only Jews are targeted because of one of them.

For years, Jewish communities have watched as anti-Israel rhetoric increasingly crosses the line into outright demonisation of Jews.

When far-left and Islamist activists publish lists of “Zionist” institutions, such as synagogues and Jewish schools, when mobs chant for the destruction of the only Jewish state, when Jewish symbols are equated with oppression and evil, and when conspiracy theories about Jewish power spread online, the consequences are inevitable. Someone eventually decides to act.

If the summit of anti-Zionist activism in European cities leads to physical attacks against Jews, then both the source and the action itself are clearly antisemitic. The facilitators can no longer claim that they did not help shed this blood.

An activism which begins with conspiracy theories, demonising propaganda, and political leaders and opinion makers who tolerate or excuse rhetoric that would be unacceptable if directed at any other minority, leads directly to physical attacks against Jews.

This is why governments and law enforcement agencies must move beyond mere condemnation after the fact. The time has come for a comprehensive strategy that addresses not just the physical security of Jewish communities but also the ideological forces that threaten them.

First, robust protection for Jewish institutions must be ensured. Synagogues, schools, and community centres should not have to rely on volunteers or private security to defend themselves.

Second, it is not enough to legislate against hate crime and incitement. The law must address hate crime motivated by antisemitism and enforced against all those who call for violence against Jews, glorification of terrorist organisations, and harassment campaigns targeting Jewish individuals or institutions.

And critically, governments must confront the role of social media platforms and extremist networks in spreading antisemitic propaganda. The digital ecosystem has become a powerful amplifier of hatred, allowing conspiracy theories and incitement to reach millions within seconds.

If we fail to address this dangerous political environment, attacks on Jewish communities will only continue.

Antisemitism has always served as an early warning sign of the health of a society. When hatred toward Jews is tolerated and normalised, it rarely stops there. It spreads outward, threatening all sections of society and undermining democratic values.

This is the test of democratic societies today.

Will they defend the principles of pluralism and the rule of law, or will our democratic societies continue to be undermined by those who seek to destroy their very existence?

Dr Moshe Kantor is President of the European Jewish Congress, the democratically elected organisation representing European Jewish communities.