The shooting that left two dead and several injured in Halle, Germany, on Yom Kippur is the latest indication of a worldwide rise in anti-Semitic incidents. Reportedly, the Halle attacker shot at the door of a synagogue in an attempt to gain entry. Foiled, he shot at people standing nearby.  Inside, some 50 worshippers were observing the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

In response to the shooting, the Anti-Defamation League reported that violent anti-Semitic episodes in the United States had doubled in 2018. In Canada, the government reported a 4% dip in anti-Semitic attacks last year, but only after a sharp rise in 2017. Anti-Semitism is a top concern in Germany, where data shows reported incidents rose 10% last year, according to Tel Aviv University’s Kantor Center, and where the trial of a group of alleged neo-Nazis planning an attack in Berlin is under way. In the United Kingdom, the Community Security Trust charity recently reported a 10% rise in incidents during the first six months of this year. In the Czech Republic, the Federation of the Jewish Communities reported a rise in anti-Semitic incidents last year.

                  In the marketplace in Halle, Germany, people take part in a minute of  silence and a demonstration against anti-Semitism. AP Photo/Jens Meye