Wikipedia

List of attacks on Jewish institutions

(Redirected from Attacks on synagogues)

For attacks on Israeli embassies and diplomats, see List of attacks against Israeli embassies and diplomats.
Further information: Attacks on synagogues and List of attacks on synagogues in Israel

The history of antisemitism, often called "the longest hatred", has included many violent attacks on Jewish institutions such as synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, and the headquarters of Jewish organizations.

Attacks

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Date Target Location Perpetrator (motive) Details
11 April 1956 Shafrir synagogue Kfar Chabad, Israel Palestinian fedayeen (Palestinian nationalism) Shafrir synagogue shooting: As part of the Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency, three Palestinian militants who crossed into Israel from Egypt attacked the study hall of a synagogue while it was full of children and teenagers, killing 6 people, including 5 children.
25 March 1960 Congregation Beth Israel (Gadsden, Alabama) Gadsden, Alabama, United States Jerry Hunt (white supremacy and antisemitism) Congregation Beth Israel attack: About 180 members were attending a Friday evening service to dedicate the new Zemurray Social Hall, and led by then-rabbi Saul Rubin and Rev. John Speaks and Dr. Franklin Denson of First Methodist Church, when 16‑year-old neo-Nazi firebombed the synagogue. He then non-fatally shot two synagogue members who went outside to investigate.[1]
11 January 1969 Congregation Shaare Tikvah Temple Hills, Maryland, United States David Marness (possibly right-wing extremism linked to the Minutemen organization) A bomb planted in the rear wall of Congregation Shaare Tikvah, Temple Hills, Maryland severely damaged the kitchen, social hall, and classrooms, with damages estimated at $200,000. There were no casualties or injuries. Police arrested David Maness in February and found 38 pounds of dynamite and literature from the right-wing Minutemen organization in his home.[2][3]
8 October 1977 Shaare Zedek Synagogue St. Louis, Missouri, United States Joseph Paul Franklin (white supremacy and antisemitism) Shaare Zedek Synagogue shooting: Joseph Paul Franklin fired upon congregants leaving a bar mitzvah, killing Gerald Gordon and wounding Steven Goldman and William Ash.[4]
11 March 1977 B'nai B'rith headquarters Washington, D.C., United States Hamaas Abdul Khaalis and 12 associated gunmen (Hanafi movement) 1977 Washington, D.C., attack and hostage taking: Twelve gunmen took 149 hostages at the B'nai B'rith headquarters and two other buildings in Washington, D.C. After a 39-hour standoff, the gunmen surrendered the hostages were released.[5][6]
July 1980 Congregation Shaare Tikvah Temple Hills, Maryland, United States Vandals broke into the building and attempted to firebomb the bima and ark, but the synagogue's alarm system alerted the Prince George's County Police, who arrived within minutes, thwarting the attack and minimizing the damage.
29 August 1981 Stadttempel Vienna, Austria Marwan Hasan and Hesham Mohammed Rajeh (Palestinian nationalism) 1981 Vienna synagogue attack: Two Palestinian nationals entered the 155-year old Israelite Temple, posing as Jews, opening fire and threw grenades as attendees of a Bar Mitzvah. Two were killed and 18 were wounded. The assailants received life sentences.[7][8]
18 September 1982 Great Synagogue of Brussels Brussels, Belgium Abu Nidal Organization (Palestinian nationalism) On Rosh Hashanah, the synagogue was attacked by a man with a submachine gun, seriously wounding four people. The attack was attributed to the Abu Nidal Organization.[9][10]
9 October 1982 Great Synagogue of Rome Rome, Italy Five Palestinian militants of the Abu Nidal Organization (Palestinian nationalism) Great Synagogue of Rome attack: On Shabbat morning, as the families of the local Jewish community began leaving with their children from the back entrance to the synagogue, five elegantly dressed armed attackers walked calmly up to the back entrance of the synagogue and threw at least three hand grenades at the crowd, and afterwards sprayed the crowd with sub-machine gun fire. A 2-year-old toddler was killed and 37 civilians were injured. One of the assailants was identified as Osama Abdel al-Zomar, an alleged member of the Abu Nidal Organization.[11][12][13]
1983 Beth Shalom synagogue Bloomington, Indiana, United States The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) In the summer of 1983, the Beth Shalom synagogue in Bloomington, Indiana was damaged in an arson attack. Unknown assailants had started a fire at the base of the Torah ark, from which it spread to the sanctuary before being extinguished, leaving tens of thousands of dollars of damage.[14] The group responsible was the white supremacist group, The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA), which was linked to the Aryan Brotherhood and perpetrated multiple terrorist attacks across America in the early 1980s. The FBI suppressed the group following a siege of its rural Arkansas compound in the spring of 1985.[15]
8 October 1985 Jewish quarter Djerba, Tunisia Tunisian security guard [16][17]
6 September 1986 Neve Shalom Synagogue Istanbul, Turkey Members of Abu Nidal During Shabbat services, gunmen killed 22 worshippers and wounded 6.[18]
26 January to 28 March 1991 Five Sydney synagogues Sydney, Australia Arson attack 1991 Sydney synagogue attacks
1991 Crown Heights Brooklyn, New York, United States Riot Crown Heights riot
1 March 1994 Van carrying Jewish students New York City, New York, United States Rashid Baz (Anti-U.S. and antisemitic sentiment) 1994 Brooklyn Bridge shooting: shooting attack on a van carrying Chabad-Lubavitch students crossing the bridge as part of an identifiably Jewish convoy of 20 vehicles carrying members of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.[19]
20 March 1994 Temple Beth Israel Eugene, Oregon Chris Lord (white supremacy and antisemitism) Chris Lord, an individual associated with the Volksfront and American Front, fired ten rounds with an assault rifle into the temple, damaging the interior. The attacks were prompted by a newspaper article about several members of Eugene's Jewish community, including a lesbian. Community organizations responded by standing vigil outside the synagogue during Passover services. Lord and an associate were caught and convicted, and Lord was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.[20]
18 June 1999 Beth Shalom, B'nai Israel, and Knesset Israel Sacramento, California, United States Benjamin Matthew and James Tyler Williams Sacramento synagogue firebombings
10 August 1999 North Valley Jewish Community Center Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States Buford O. Furrow Jr. (White supremacy) Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting
8 October 2000 Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale The Bronx, New York City, United States Mazin Assi and Mohammed Alfaqih 2000 Bronx synagogue firebombing: On the morning of the eve of Yom Kippur, two Molotov cocktails were thrown, but did not ignite, at the door of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale (CSAIR) in The Bronx in New York City. Two Palestinian men were arrested and found guilty for the attack.[21][22][23]
2000 Temple Beth El Syracuse, New York, United States Arson attack on Temple Beth El in Syracuse, New York. Hate crime by perpetrator who claimed Palestinian descent.[24]
2000 Beth El, Pittsburgh, and Congregation Ahavath Achim Carnegie, Pennsylvania, United States Richard Baumhammers (White supremacy) White supremacist Richard Baumhammers shot out windows at Congregation Beth El, Pittsburgh, and Congregation Ahavath Achim in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.[21]
4 July 2002 Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles, California, United States Hesham Mohamed Hadayet (Palestinian nationalism) 2002 Los Angeles International Airport shooting: At 11:30 a.m. on 4 July 2002, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, a 41-year-old Egyptian national, approached the El Al ticket counter inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport, pulled out two Glock pistols, and started shooting at the 90 passengers standing in the line. Hadayet killed Customer Service Agent Victoria Hen and 46-year-old bystander Yaakov Aminov before being killed himself.[25][26]
25 October 2002 Temple Beth Israel Eugene, Oregon Members of Volksfront (white supremacy and antisemitism) Jacob Laskey, his brother Gabriel Laskey, Gerald Poundstone, Jesse Baker, and one other man, all members of the Volksfront, drove to Beth Israel with the intent of intimidating the congregants. While a service with 80 members attending was taking place, the men threw rocks etched with Nazi swastikas through the synagogue's stained glass windows, then sped off. The men were caught, pleaded guilty, and were convicted. They served sentences ranging from a 6‑month work release term and five years probation, to eleven years and three months in federal prison for the ringleader, Jacob Laskey.[27][28]
6 May 2003 Valley Beth Shalom Encino, Los Angeles, California, United States Farshid Tehrani (mental illness) As part of a string of attacks against synagogues and other religious institutions in the San Fernando Valley, a Molotov cocktail thrown through window at Valley Beth Shalom synagogue in Encino, California. Farshid Tehrani was arrested for carrying our five arson attacks in 11 days between 26 April and 6 May. In October, he was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial.[29][30]
1 April 2004 Temple B'nai Israel Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States Sean Gillespie (white supremacy and antisemitism) Gillespie videotaped himself describing his plan to firebomb the temple with a Molotov cocktail and cause as much damage as he could. He said, "I will film it for you viewing enjoyment, my kindred. White power." Surveillance footage caught Gillespie in the act of throwing the Molotov cocktail at the building. Gillespie filmed himself while the temple was burning. The damage was limited to a brick wall and glass window. He then sent a letter to the congregation in hopes of inciting a holy war. Gillespie was arrested 15 days later in Russellville, Arkansas and extradited back to Oklahoma. In 2005, Gillespie was tried, convicted and sentenced to 39 years in prison. [31][32][33]
28 July 2006 Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle Seattle, Washington, United States Naveed Afzal Haq (Unknown) Seattle Jewish Federation shooting
10 June 2009 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Washington, D.C., United States James Wenneker von Brunn (Antisemitism, Holocaust denial) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting
11 January 2012 Rutherford and Paramus, New Jersey, United States Anthony Graziano (Antisemitism) Firebombing in Rutherford and Paramus, NJ.[34]
13 April 2014 Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and Village Shalom Overland Park, Kansas, United States Frazier Glenn Miller Jr. (White supremacy) 2014 Overland Park shootings
18 November 2014 Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue Har Nof, Jerusalem Uday Abu Jamal and Ghassan Abu Jamal (Palestinian nationalism) 2014 Jerusalem synagogue attack
14 February 2015 Great Synagogue (Copenhagen) Copenhagen, Denmark Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein (Islamic extremism) 2015 Copenhagen shootings
11 February 2016 Nazareth Restaurant Columbus, Ohio, United States Mohamed Barry (Islamic extremism) 2016 Ohio restaurant machete attack: Islamist attack on a Middle Eastern restaurant displaying an Israeli flag.
9 December 2017 Gothenburg Synagogue Gothenburg, Sweden Two Palestinians, one Syrian migrant, unidentified others (Islamic extremism, anti-Israel) After marches protesting the United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, more than a dozen hurled firebombs at the Gothenburg Synagogue while teens from the local Jewish community were attending a party inside. No one was injured and there was no major damage to the property. On 25 June 2018, two Palestinians and one Syrian migrant were convicted for participation. Two were sentenced to two years in prison and the third was sentenced to 15 months.[35][36]
27 October 2018 Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Robert Bowers (White supremacy) Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
27 April 2019 Chabad of Poway Poway, California, United States John Earnest (White supremacy) Poway synagogue shooting[37]
28 July 2019 Young Israel of Greater Miami Miami Beach, Florida, United States Carlints St. Louis A member of the synagogue in N. Miami Beach, FL, 68, was shot in the legs, as he was unlocking the front doors of the synagogue prior to a religious service. The suspect, Carlints St. Louis of Hallandale drove up in a black Chevrolet Impala, and shot him multiple times.[38]
9 October 2019 Halle Synagogue Halle, Germany Stephan Balliet (White supremacy) Halle synagogue shooting
10 December 2019 JC Kosher Supermarket Jersey City, New Jersey, United States David Anderson and Francine Graham (Antisemitism, anti-police sentiment) 2019 Jersey City shooting: Shooting at a Kosher supermarket in Jersey City, New Jersey.[39][40]
28 December 2019 Monsey, New York, United States Grafton E. Thomas (Antisemitism) Monsey Hanukkah stabbing: Five people were stabbed during Hanukkah festivities at the home of a rabbi (which was being used as a synagogue) in Monsey, New York.[41]
15 January 2022 Colleyville synagogue Colleyville, Texas, United States Malik Faisal Akram (Islamic extremism) Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis: Four hostages taken at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.[42]
27 January 2023 Neve Yaakov synagogue Neve Yaakov, East Jerusalem Khairi Alqam (Unknown) 2023 Neve Yaakov shooting
9 May 2023 El Ghriba Synagogue Djerba, Tunisia Wissam Khazri (Unknown) 2023 Djerba synagogue shooting
18 October 2023 Synagogue Brunnenstraße Berlin, Germany First attack: two unidentified assailants. Second (thwarted) attack: a 30-year-old man wearing a Palestinian scarf (Police stated that the man arrested was shouting inflammatory and anti-Israel slogans) There were two attempted attacks on the Jewish Community Centre in Berlin's Mitte district; the first involved Molotov cocktails being thrown at the building, causing no injuries or damage, and the second involved a man wearing a Palestinian scarf and shouting anti-Israeli slogans, who was thwarted when he forced his way to the entrance despite a police cordon.[43]
1 November 2023 Jewish section of Vienna Central Cemetery Vienna, Austria Unknown Unidentified vandals set a fire and sprayed swastikas on external walls overnight in the Jewish section of the Vienna Central Cemetery. The entrance lobby to a ceremonial hall was burned for the first time since the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom by the Nazis, but there were no injuries. The attack was condemned by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.[44][45][46]
23 November 2023 Mordechai Navi Synagogue Yerevan, Armenia Unknown A vandal poured fuel on the synagogue's door, setting the building on fire. No serious damage was reported and no one was in the building at the time. Videos of the incident were shared by news outlets in Azerbaijan, against whom Armenia has fought several wars. The following day, Armenian authorities opened an investigation.[47]
5 April 2024 Oldenburg Synagogue Oldenburg, Germany Unknown Arson attack on a synagogue in the city of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. German police have offered a cash reward for information about an arson attack.[48]
17 May 2024 Rouen Synagogue Rouen, France Unknown A 29 year old Algerian man threw a bomb through the synagogue's window, lighting the building on fire. After throwing a knife at responding police, the man jumped off of the synagogue's roof and was shot by police. Damage inside the synagogue was significant.[49]
18 June 2024 Synagogue Athens, Greece Unknown A Greek, Afghan, and Iranian were arrested by Greek officials for arson, gun possession, and robbery after two of the individuals rode near a synagogue and threw flammable material, causing fire.[50]
6 December 2024 Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Unknown 2024 Melbourne synagogue attack: An arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne by two masked perpetrators. One person was injured in the attack.

1950s synagogue bombings

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Main article: 1950s synagogue bombings

Failed attacks

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A number of planned attacks were unsuccessful, either due to prevention by authorities or failed execution.

Disruption date Target Location Perpetrator (motive) Details
12 November 1957 Temple Beth El Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Unknown Six sticks of dynamite with party burned 14‑foot fuse was discovered outside the synagogue[56]
9 February 1958 Temple Emanuel Gastonia, North Carolina, United States Unknown Thirty sticks of dynamite discovered by police in a suitcase outside the synagogue[56][51]
April 2001 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the New England Holocaust Memorial, Anti-Defamation League offices, well-known American Jews, including Steven Spielberg; and black leaders, including Rev. Jesse Jackson Northeastern United States Leo Felton from the White Order of Thule and Erica Chase of the Creativity Movement (white supremacy, antisemitism) 2002 white supremacist terror plot: Felton, the mixed-race son of a civil rights activist, and his girlfriend Chase planned to build a fertilizer bomb like one used in the Oklahoma City bombing and attack landmarks associated with American Jews and African Americans to incite a racial holy war. Felton and Chase were convicted for the plot on 27 July 2002. Felton received 21 years and 10 months in prison.[57][58]
July 2005 Synagogues, Israeli consulate, U.S. military facilities Southern California Kevin James, Levar Haley Washington, Gregory Vernon Patterson, Hammad Riaz Samana (Islamic extremism) 2005 Los Angeles bomb plot: A group of ex-convicts formed the radical Islamic group Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh from inside prison. The group, led by James, planned to rob gas stations in southern California and attack "enemies of Islam."[59][60]
17 September 2008 Stewart Air National Guard Base, Riverdale Temple, Riverdale Jewish Center Riverdale, New York James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams, Laguerre Payen (antisemitism, anti-Americanism) Bronx terrorism plot: Cromitie, Williams, Williams, and Payen planned to bomb the Riverdale Temple and nearby Riverdale Jewish Center. They were also to fire Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles at military planes at Stewart Air National Guard Base.[61][62]
21 March 2009 Ida Crown Jewish Academy Chicago, Illinois, United States Mohammed Alkaramla (anti-Israel)
See also: Antisemitic incidents during the Gaza War (2008–2009)
During the 2008-2009 Gaza war, 25-year-old Mohammed Alkaramla, a native of Jordan, mailed a letter threatening to blow up a Jewish high school if Israel didn't withdraw troops from Gaza. In July 2010, Alkaramla was found guilty of one count of making threats against the school. He was sentenced to 25 months in prison in November 2010.[63][64]
11 May 2011 Unidentified synagogues New York City, New York, United States Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh 2011 Manhattan terrorism plot: Ferhani and Mamdouh purchased weapons and bombs in a sting operation as part of a plot to attack unspecified synagogues, a church, and the Empire State Building. In December 2012, Ferhani pleaded guilty to terrorism conspiracy and terrorism-related weapons possession charges and was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. Mamdouh pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 5 years in state prison.[65][66]
2 November 2019 Temple Emanuel Pueblo, Colorado, United States Richard Holzer Pueblo synagogue plot: Self-described neo-Nazi Richard Holzer planned to detonate what he believed were explosives to blow up Temple Emanuel. Holzer was unknowingly in contact with FBI Online Covert Employees, was arrested, and admitted to planning to blow up the synagogue. Holzer pled guilty to federal hate crime and explosives charges in October 2020 and was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison in February 2021.[67][68][69]
19 November 2019 Unidentified synagogue New York City, New York, United States Matthew Mahler and Christopher Brown Mahler and Brown were arrested at Penn Station after posting on social media that they wanted to "shoot up a synagogue and die." Brown was arrested with an illegal firearm, a large hunting knife, ammunition, and a Nazi armband. The online threat was first noted by the Community Security Service, which alerted authorities.[70][71] Jamil Hakime, who drove Mahler and Brown to purchase the gun pled guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in July 2023.[72]
February 2021 Maghain Aboth Synagogue Singapore Amirull Ali Maghain Aboth Synagogue attack plot: Amirull Ali, a member of the Singapore Armed Forces, planned to stab three members of the Maghain Aboth Synagogue in retaliation for the role of Israel and Jews in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Ali also planned to travel to Gaza to join Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. The plot was foiled when Ali was arrested by the Internal Security Department of Singapore in February 2021.[73][74]
4 November 2022 Unspecified Unspecified Omar Alkattoul (antisemitism, homophobia) On November 1, 2022, Omar Alkattoul from Sayreville, New Jersey, used social media to send a manifesto with a threat to attack a synagogue based on his hatred of Jews. He admitted he had researched how to obtain a gun and about mass shootings. Alkattoul pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting a threat and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison on 14 November 2023.[75][76]
16 June 2023 Congregation Shaarey Zedek (Michigan) East Lansing, Michigan Seann Patrick Pietila (neo-Nazi, antisemitism) Twenty-year-old Seann Patrick Pietila was arrested by the FBI for threatening to conduct a mass killing at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in East Lansing. A search at his home uncovered weapons, ammunition, Nazi paraphernalia, and military manuals. Pietila pled guilty in November and was sentenced to a year and one day in federal prison and ordered to pay $160,000 in restitution in March 2024.[77][78][79]

Synagogue attacks

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Nineteenth century

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The 1834 Safed pogrom, involving the mass violence against Jews perpetrated by local Arabs and Druze, featured attacks on local synagogues and the desecration of synagogue ritual objects.[80][81] Thirteen synagogues, along with an estimated 500 Torah scrolls, were destroyed in the course of the attack.[81] Attacks on Jews hiding in synagogues also took place.[82]

Twentieth century

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Berlin synagogue destroyed on Kristallnacht (1938)

In the twentieth century, a major event involving the destruction of synagogues was the Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, occurring on November 9–10, 1938. The event was a pogrom against Jews carried out in Nazi Germany by the Sturmabteilung (SA) and Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary forces, with participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilians. A major feature of this event was the widespread destruction of over a thousand synagogues.[83]: 13, 15, 118  Of the 93 synagogues and Jewish prayer houses in Vienna, the Stadttempel was the only one in the city to survive World War II, as it could not be destroyed without setting adjoining buildings on fire. All of the others were destroyed by the SA assisted by local authorities.[1][2] Similar destruction occurred throughout Austria, carried out by the Austrian SA with synagogues destroyed in Eisenstadt, Linz, Salzburg, and resort towns.[83]: 32–33, 53  Other notable attacks on synagogues from this period include the 1941 Riga synagogue burnings, an event that took place during the first days of the Nazi German occupation of the city of Riga, the capital and largest city in the country of Latvia. Many Jews confined in the synagogues died in the fires. Many other anti-Semitic measures were launched at the same time, ultimately followed by the murder of the vast majority of the Jews of Latvia.[3] That same year, in Paris, on the night of October 2–3, 1941, explosive devices were placed in front of six synagogues causing damage to them.[84] The affected synagogues were Synagogue des Tournelles (in the Jewish Marais district), Synagogue de la rue Copernic (16th arrondissement of Paris), Synagogue Nazareth (3rd arrondissement of Paris), Synagogue de la rue Pavée (4th arrondissement of Paris), Montmartre Synagogue (18th arrondissement of Paris), and the Grand Synagogue of Paris (9th arrondissement of Paris).

Following the Second World War, notable attacks on synagogues include the 1949 Menarsha synagogue bombing that took place on August 5, 1949 in the Jewish quarter of Damascus, Syria. The grenade attack claimed the lives of 12 civilians and injured about 30. Most of the victims were children.[9] A simultaneous attack was also carried out at the Great Synagogue in Aleppo.[10][85] Other bombings from this period include the 1957-58 USA synagogue bombings. A series of violent attacks that took place between November 11, 1957, and October 14, 1958. In total, there were five bombings and three attempted bombings of synagogues, seven in the Southern United States and one in the Midwest United States. There were no deaths or injuries. These events took place during an increase in antisemitic activity in the United States, both nonviolent and violent, after U.S. Supreme Court established that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional with Brown v. Board of Education in May 1954.[86] (See also, 1958 Atlanta synagogue bombing). That same decade saw the 1956 Shafrir synagogue shooting in Kfar Chabad, Israel. The attack which was carried out by Palestinian terrorists on April 11, 1956.[11] Three Palestinian attackers who crossed into Israel from Egypt attacked the study hall of a synagogue while it was full of children and teenagers.[14][87][15] Six people (five children and a youth worker) were killed.

 
Plaque commemorating the victims of the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing

Attacks on synagogues continued in the subsequent decades. In the case of the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing, which occurred on October 3, 1980, a bomb exploded outside Rue Copernic synagogue, a Reform synagogue, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. The synagogue was full of approximately 320 worshippers.[88][89] Four people were killed in the blast.[90] According to investigators, the bomb had been set to detonate after prayers concluded and as worshippers were leaving the building. However, the service had started several minutes late and therefore there were few people in the vicinity of the bomb.[90] The 1981 Vienna synagogue attack was a terror attack that occurred on August 29, 1981, in the Stadttempel of Vienna, Austria. The attackers were two Palestinian terrorists of the Abu Nidal Organization.[16] The mass shooting and grenade attack killed two people and wounded 18 others attending a Bar mitzvah service.[91][92] Two months later, the 1981 Antwerp synagogue bombing occurred on October 20, 1981, when a truck bomb exploded outside a Portuguese Jewish synagogue in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium, in the diamond district of Antwerp. The explosion took place shortly after 9:00 AM on a Tuesday morning, a few minutes before Simchat Torah religious services were to begin.[17] Three people were killed and 106 wounded.[19] The following year saw the Great Synagogue of Rome attacked by armed Palestinian terrorists on October 9, 1982. A 2-year-old toddler, Stefano Gaj Taché, was killed in the attack, while 37 civilians were injured. The attackers used a combination of hand grenades and sub-machine gun fire.[25][93][26] This period also saw the 1986 Istanbul synagogue massacre, which occurred on September 6, 1986, at the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul's Beyoglu district, and resulted in 22 deaths.[29] Reportedly, a pair of terrorists entered on the men's side of the mechitza and opened fire on the crowd with machine guns. They then doused the bodies of the dead and injured with gasoline, which they lit on fire.[94][30]

The following decade saw the 1991 Sydney synagogue attacks, a series of events occurring between January 26 and March 28, 1991. Five synagogues in Sydney, Australia, were targeted by arsonists. Four synagogues were significantly damaged and one attack thwarted by a security guard. The attacks resulted in the permanent closure of one synagogue, the injury of the security guard.[31][32][95] In 1999, the Sacramento synagogue firebombings, an attack on three California synagogues, occurred on June 18, 1999. The attackers were white supremacist brothers Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams who were later involved in other hate crimes and subsequently arrested for the murder of a gay couple.[33][96]

Twenty-first century

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Attacks on synagogues continued into the twenty-first century. The 2002 Lyon synagogue attack occurred on 30 March 2002, involving a group of masked men using two cars to conduct a vehicle-ramming attack in Lyon, France. After ramming the synagogue, the cars were set on fire. The attack caused severe damage to the synagogue.[97][98][99][100] The Lyon attack was one of a series of pro-Palestinian attacks on French synagogues and other Jewish targets. The series of attacks included attacks on synagogues in Paris, Marseille and Strasbourg.[101][99] The 2002 Djerba synagogue bombing was a terror attack on the El Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, carried out by Al-Qaeda.[35] The attack occurred on 11 April 2002, involving a natural gas truck fitted with explosives which drove past security barriers at the ancient El Ghriba synagogue.[36] The truck detonated at the front of the synagogue, killing 14 German tourists, three Tunisians, and two French nationals.[102] More than 30 others were wounded.[38][39][40] Following this, the 2009 Caracas synagogue attack occurred on 31 January 2009 at the Tiféret Israel Synagogue in Caracas, Venezuela's oldest synagogue. The attack occurred amid a rise in tensions prompted by the 2008–2009 Gaza War, after Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Israel and Israel responded by expelling Venezuelan officials from the country.[43] The attack involved a group of 15 attackers who broke into the synagogue and occupied the building for several hours.[44] Security guards were tied up and gagged and the gang destroyed offices and the repository where the holy books were stored. They daubed the walls with antisemitic and anti-Israeli graffiti.[45] They also stole a database that listed Jews who lived in Venezuela.[103]

The following decade saw the 2014 Jerusalem synagogue attack, a terrorist attack on the Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue in Jerusalem, occurring on 18 November 2014. Two Palestinian men attacked synagogue congregants with axes, knives, and a gun, killing four worshippers, injuring eight others including a Druze Israeli police officer who later died of his wounds.[104][46][48][49]

Additionally, the same decade saw the 2017 Gothenburg Synagogue attack, the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the 2019 Poway synagogue shooting, and the 2019 Halle synagogue shooting. Attacks in the 2020s include the 2022 Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis, the 2023 Djerba synagogue shooting, and the 2024 Melbourne synagogue attack.

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Attacks on synagogues
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    Report of an arson attack on an Australian synagogue (1920)
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    Wiesbaden synagogue set alight (1938)
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    Plaque marking the destruction of Great Choral Synagogue of Riga (1941)
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    Site of the Shafrir synagogue attack in Kfar Chabad (1956)
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    Site of the Antwerp synagogue bombing (1981)
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    Monument for the victims of the Great Synagogue of Rome attack (1982)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Gadsden, Alabama". Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Hold Man in $200,000 Jan. 11 Bombing of Synagogue in Suburban Washington, D.c." Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 3 February 1969. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Maryland Grand Jury Indicts Electrical Worker for $200,000 Bombing of Synagogue". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 26 February 1969. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  4. ^ Green, David (28 October 2018). "From Lynchings to Mass Shootings: The History of Deadly Attacks on Jews in America". Haaretz. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  5. ^ Smith, J.Y. (10 June 1977). "Prosecution Opens Trial Of Hanafis". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  6. ^ Kiernan, Laura (19 October 1977). "Amina Khaalis Relives Horror of Slayings, Court Is Told". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  7. ^ Palestinians get life in Austrian Slayings, The New York Times, January 22, 1982
  8. ^ "Terrorists Strike in Vienna; Kill Two, Wound 18 in an Attack on a Synagogue". 31 August 1981.
  9. ^ a b "AROUND THE WORLD; Hunt Is On in Brussels For Synagogue Raider". The New York Times. UPI. 20 September 1982. p. 11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Israeli victims of Brussels shooting named as Mira and Emanuel Riva". Times of Israel. AFP. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b "BOY, 2, IS KILLED AND 34 ARE HURT". The New York Times. 10 October 1982. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Italy Jews Angry With Gadhafi Over Plan to Meet on Shabbat". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Italy Gives Arab a Life Term In a 1982 Synagogue Attack". The New York Times. Reuters. 24 May 1989. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Arson Believed Certain Bloomington Center". The Jewish Post. Indianapolis. 13 September 1983. p. 14.
  15. ^ a b Stern, Jessica Eve (2000) [1985]. "The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord". In Tucker, Jonathan B. (ed.). Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. pp. 151–52.
  16. ^ a b "Policeman shoots into Jewish quarter". UPI. 8 October 1985. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Tunisia Guard Fires at Crowd, Killing 1; Jews Among Injured". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 8 October 1985. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  18. ^ Arsu, Sebnem; Filkins, Dexter (16 November 2003). "20 in Istanbul Die in Bombings At Synagogues". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  19. ^ a b Sexton, Joe (2 March 1994). "4 Hasidic Youths Hurt in Brooklyn Bridge Shooting". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  20. ^ Comstock (2002), p. 116 Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ a b Green, David (28 October 2018). "From Lynchings to Mass Shootings: The History of Deadly Attacks on Jews in America". Haaretz. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  22. ^ "Hate-Crime Law Cited in Synagogue Attack". The New York Times. 19 October 2000. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  23. ^ Fried, Joseph P. (18 May 2003). "Following Up". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Arab convicted of hate crimes in temple arson". St. Catharines Standard. AP. 25 November 2003. ProQuest 349554168.
  25. ^ a b "FBI, Justice: El Al attack was terrorism". CNN. 12 April 2003. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  26. ^ a b Blankstein, Andrew (7 July 2002). "LAX Assailant Died of Abdominal Gunshot Wound". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  27. ^ The Salem News (November 14, 2007).
  28. ^ United States Attorney's Office District of Oregon (August 15, 2006).
  29. ^ a b Ellenson, Ruth (16 May 2003). "Iranian Jew Nabbed In L.A. Shul Arsons". Forward. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  30. ^ a b "L.A. Arson Suspect Declared Incompetent". Associated Press. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Oklahoma synagogue bomber gets 39 years: Washington state man threw Molotov cocktail, sent letter to congregation". MSNBC. 30 April 2005. Archived from the original on 27 December 2005.
  32. ^ a b "White Supremacist arrested in Oklahoma synagogue attack". ADL.org. 26 April 2004.
  33. ^ a b "UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Sean Michael GILLESPIE, Defendant-Appellant". Court of the 10th Circuit. 30 June 2006.
  34. ^ "Firebombings at 2 Synagogues in New Jersey Lead to Arrest". The New York Times. The Associated Press. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  35. ^ a b "3 Arab men convicted of firebombing Swedish synagogue". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  36. ^ a b Liphshiz, Cnaan (9 December 2017). "Firebombs hurled at synagogue in Sweden after protest march about Jerusalem". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  37. ^ Davis, Kristina; Parvini, Sarah (27 April 2019). "Multiple people shot in attack on Poway synagogue; police detain man for questioning". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  38. ^ a b "Arrest Made Weeks After Shooting Outside North Miami Beach Synagogue". NBC 6 South Florida. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  39. ^ a b "Six people confirmed dead as Jersey City shooting targets kosher supermarket". The Jewish Chronicle. 10 December 2019. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  40. ^ a b Joffre, Tzvi (12 December 2019). "Jersey City shooting was 'an act of terror' says Bill de Blasio". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  41. ^ Helmore, Edward (28 December 2019). "Synagogue stabbings: five hurt in Monsey attack, say reports". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  42. ^ Williams, Michael (15 January 2022). "Colleyville police SWAT team involved in incident at synagogue". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  43. ^ a b "Jüdische Gemeinde in der Brunnenstraße meldet zweiten Angriff".
  44. ^ a b Walsh, Eli (2 November 2023). "Jewish Section of Austria Cemetery Marked with Swastikas, Set Ablaze for First Time Since Kristallnacht". The Messenger. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  45. ^ a b "A fire in the Jewish section of a cemetery in Austria's capital causes damage but no injuries". AP. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  46. ^ a b "Vienna's Jewish community in shock after arson attack on cemetery hall". CNN. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  47. ^ "Armenia opens probe into arson attack on synagogue". Times of Israel. 16 November 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  48. ^ a b "Germany: Police offer €5,000 for synagogue attack tips". Deutsche Welle. 11 April 2024.
  49. ^ a b Kirby, Paul (17 May 2024). "Man shot dead after French synagogue set on fire". BBC. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  50. ^ "Greece arrests 7 over arson attacks on synagogue, Israeli-owned hotel". Reuters. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  51. ^ a b c d e f Kellman, George (1959). "Anti-Jewish Agitation". The American Jewish Year Book. 60: 44–52. ISSN 0065-8987. JSTOR 23602919.
  52. ^ Toby, Jackson (May 1958). "Bombing in Nashville:A Jewish Center and the Desegregation Struggle". Commentary.
  53. ^ Webb, Clive (22 June 2009). "Counterblast: How the Atlanta Temple Bombing Strengthened the Civil Rights Cause". Southern Spaces. doi:10.18737/M75W2T. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  54. ^ Montgomery, Paul (7 November 1970). "8th Blast in Rochester Area Damages a Third Synagogue". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  55. ^ "Police Investigating Bombing of Temple, the Third in Less Than Two Weeks". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 9 November 1970. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  56. ^ a b Prohibiting Certain Acts Involving the Use of Explosives: Hearings Before Subcommittee No. 3 on H. R. 15 [and Other] Bills Prohibiting Certain Acts Involving the Impertation, Transportation, Possession, Or Use of Explosives, and for Other Purposes. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1959. pp. 82–85. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  57. ^ "White Supremacist Sentenced in Racial Bombing Plot". Anti-Defamation League. 26 December 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  58. ^ Lavoie, Denise (27 July 2002). "White supremacist couple convicted in racial bomb plot trial". AP. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  59. ^ Marquez, Jeremiah (1 September 2005). "Four indicted in alleged terrorist plot against LA-area targets". SFGate.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2006.
  60. ^ "Four charged with hatching prison terror plot". NBC News. 31 August 2005. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  61. ^ Peter, Tom A. "New York terror plotters wanted to 'do jihad'". csmonitor.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
  62. ^ Hernandez, Javier C.; Sewell Chan (21 May 2009). "N.Y. Bomb Plot Suspects Acted Alone, Police Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  63. ^ Grimm, Andy (24 November 2010). "Man gets two years in prison for bomb threat". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  64. ^ Oster, Marcy (22 March 2009). "Alleged Chicago bomb threat author arrested". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  65. ^ "Prison for NYC man charged with terror conspiracy". Associated Press. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  66. ^ Peltz, Jennifer (16 April 2016). "Inmate who plotted NY synagogue bombings in coma after suicide attempt". Associated Press. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  67. ^ Helsel, Phil (26 February 2021). "Neo-Nazi who planned to blow up synagogue sentenced to 19 years". NBC News. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  68. ^ "FBI: White Supremacist Richard Holzer Arrested In Plot To Blow Up Pueblo's Temple Emanuel". CBS News Colorado. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  69. ^ "Alleged domestic terrorist admits to plot to bomb a Colorado synagogue". CNN. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  70. ^ Keys, Lisa (19 November 2022). "'Developing threat' to NYC Jewish community averted as 2 arrested at Penn Station". The Forward. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  71. ^ del Valle, Lauren (7 December 2022). "Two men, one a descendant of Holocaust survivor, indicted in connection with threat to attack NYC synagogue". CNN. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  72. ^ Harpaz, Beth (14 September 2023). "A Jewish man was charged in a plot against synagogues. His parents want you to know the whole story". The Forward. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  73. ^ Baharuddin, Hariz (10 March 2021). "Singaporean youth detained under ISA for planning knife attack on Jews leaving synagogue". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  74. ^ Jaipragas, Bhavan (10 March 2021). "Singapore detains man who plotted knife attack on Jews; considers tighter security at places of worship". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  75. ^ Sguelia, Kristina (14 November 2023). "New Jersey man pleads guilty to sending manifesto threatening to attack a synagogue, which prompted a statewide alert". CNN. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  76. ^ "New Jersey man who posted threat to synagogues gets 15 months in prison". NBC Philadelphia. Associated Press. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  77. ^ Snell, Robert (13 November 2023). "U.P. man Seann Pietila guilty after threatening to kill Jews at East Lansing synagogue". The Detroit News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  78. ^ Barr, Luke (29 June 2023). "Man accused of plotting antisemitic attack indicted by grand jury". ABC News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  79. ^ Palmer, Ken (4 March 2024). "Threats against East Lansing synagogue land man federal prison sentence". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  80. ^ Dovid Rossoff, Safed: The Mystical City. Feldheim Publishers, 1991 ISBN 978-0-873-06566-5 pp. 149ff: The Druze Massacre of Safed
  81. ^ a b Martin Sicker (1999). Reshaping Palestine: from Muhammad Ali to the British Mandate, 1831–1922. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-275-96639-3. However, the insurrection soon lost its original purpose and turned into bloody rioting and excesses directed against the Jewish population. The rioting was most severe in Safed, where assaults and vandalism forced many Jews to flee to the nearby village of Ein Zetim or relocate to Jerusalem. During the attacks, some 500 Torah scrolls were destroyed in Safed alone. The rioting continued until a contingent of Druze troops from Ibrahim's army arrived to halt the violence. The governor of Safed and thirteen of the ringleaders were taken captive, summarily tried, and put to death.
  82. ^ Menachem Mendel Baum. Korot Ha-Eytim (Hebrew), Vilnius, 1839.
  83. ^ a b Gilbert, Martin (2006). Kristallnacht: prelude to destruction. Making history series. London: Harper Press. ISBN 978-0-00-719240-3. OCLC 62760612.
  84. ^ Kevin Passmore & Chris Millington , Political Violence and Democracy in Western Europe, 1918–1940, 2015, French: qui citent, dans la note 35, le travail non-publié mais en cours de G. K. Brunelle et A. Finley-Crosswhite, Betrayal: Bombing Synagogues on the Streets of Paris: Igniting the French Holocaust/Shoah.
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  89. ^ "Lebanese-Canadian charged over 1980 Paris synagogue bombing". Times of Israel. AFP. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
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  91. ^ Palestinians get life in Austrian Slayings, The New York Times, 22 January 1982
  92. ^ "Terrorists Strike in Vienna; Kill Two, Wound 18 in an Attack on a Synagogue". 31 August 1981.
  93. ^ "Spokane Chronicle - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  94. ^ Miller, Judith (4 January 1987). "The Istanbul Synagogue Massacre". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
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  97. ^ "Vandals crash cars through French synagogue". Arizona Daily Sun. AP. 30 March 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  98. ^ "Shooting in France in Wave of Anti-Jewish Attacks". New York Times. 1 April 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  99. ^ a b Diamond, Andrew (1 April 2002). "Weekend of anti-Semitism in France". JTA. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  100. ^ Horn, Heather (19 March 2012). "The Jewish School Shooting and Patterns of Violence". The Atlantic. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  101. ^ Tagliabue, John (5 April 2002). "Synagogue In Paris Firebombed; Raids Go On". New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  102. ^ Official Procès-Verbal, July 20th, 2002 in Tunis, El Fadel El Malki, Central Directorate of the Judicial police, The Criminal Affairs Bureau
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  104. ^ Soffer, Ari (18 November 2014). "Synagogue Massacre Victim Identified as Rabbi Moshe Twersky". Arutz Sheva. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
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