In Chicago this past weekend, an Orthodox Jewish man walking to synagogue for Shabbat services was shot by a Muslim assailant who later exchanged fire with police while reportedly shouting, “Allahu Akbar.” Local Jewish community leaders have expressed outrage that hate crime charges were not filed against the suspect, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s failure to recognize the antisemitic nature of the incident was also denounced.

Antisemitism in Chicago has not just been limited to violence. Reports this week revealed that Mayor Johnson’s recent pick to serve as the new president of the Chicago Board of Education, Rev. Mitchell Johnson, has made multiple antisemitic and pro-Hamas statements online in the past, including, “[My] Jewish colleagues appear drunk with the Israeli power.”

Mayor Johnson insisted that Rev. Johnson was “seeking atonement,” a claim that drew skeptical scrutiny. The mayor’s office also shared a written apology from Rev. Johnson with Jewish Insider, but the apology did not specifically address any of the hateful rhetoric. 

In Brooklyn, New York, a Jewish man was stabbed by a passerby who shouted hateful slurs. In Paris, France, a young Jew was attacked and sexually assaulted after the perpetrators discerned his Jewish and LGBTQ identities. In Sri Lanka, authorities arrested three individuals plotting terror attacks against Israelis, and in Algeria, a Swiss tourist was decapitated by a man shouting, “Allahu Akbar” and “Long live Palestine.” In Israel, a terrorist rammed a truck into a Tel Aviv bus stop, killing one and wounding 32 others.

This week’s Global Antisemitism Report documented a more than 100% increase in violent threats and attacks compared to last week. Law enforcement agencies must increase vigilance and vigorously prosecute those targeting Jewish communities. Meanwhile, the CAM team in partnership with the George Washington University Program on Extremism held a training on combating hate and the history of extremism with more than 80 Virginia university presidents, police chiefs, and other officials.