In our post-Oct. 7 world, one in which the New York Times can note in astonishment that some Israelis still view themselves as victims of the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, a story about a Jew being chased through the streets of a major Western city is unfortunately not that surprising.
I've already written about a couple of cases this year. A man who noticed a couple in Santa Monica, Calif., wearing Jewish stars while he was driving threatened to kill them, yelling: “You’re a Zionist, motherf***ing pedophile, motherf***ing Jew. Child killer!” It didn't end there. He got out of his vehicle and sicced his Italian mastiff on the Jews, one of whom was bitten.
Then there was the story about dozens of people joining a woman wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh to chase French Jewish tourists in Barcelona while shouting, “Jews are not welcome in Barcelona,” “baby killers,” and “Israeli genocide.” How did the two Jewish men set off the mob? They were wearing kippahs after leaving evening services.
Related: Barcelona Horror: Mob Chases French Jews Through City
The rise of antisemitism in Spain is not surprising since the country's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is perhaps the most anti-Israel leader in the West. It turns out that when a prime minister says the Jewish state is committing genocide, boycotts the Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's participation, and bemoans the fact that Spain doesn't have nuclear weapons with which to stop Israel's war in Gaza, increasing numbers of people feel they have the green light to act on their Jew hatred.
We've seen a similar phenomenon since the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City. As PJ Media's Matt Margolis wrote last month, "New Yorkers elected a blatantly antisemitic mayor, and they are getting exactly the city that comes with that choice." Attacks against Jews are surging this year, and in the very same week that Sánchez traveled to New York City and met with his socialist comrade, Mamdani, there have been two very disturbing incidents targeting Jews on NYC streets.
Early Wednesday morning, a man wielding what appears to be a knife chased an identifiably Jewish yeshiva student down a Crown Heights residential street after threatening him and throwing trash cans in his direction. Security footage posted by Crown Heights Shmira Patrol (CHSP) shows the student reaching the safety of his doorway before the assailant, who can be heard shouting, "Now I know where you live" and "Heil f***ing Hitler!," is able to physically assault him. He did, however, allegedly slash the tires of bicycles on the property, according to a COLlive report. NYPD officers eventually arrested the suspect after he had managed to escape from them by jumping over fences.
In another incident on Wednesday, a rabbi was not fortunate enough to avoid physical assault, this time in Boro Park, which, like Crown Heights, has a large Hasidic population. The Boro Park Shomrim neighborhood watch group released video of a man beating the rabbi with his fists. The man was later arrested.
This vicious assault on a Rabbi happened on Dahill Road a short time ago. Thanks to the quick action by @NYPD66Pct Q-Team officers Baptiste and Hua, the perpetrator was arrested. #SaferStreets pic.twitter.com/vHXRgO42WZ
— 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐫𝐢𝐦 (@BPShomrim) September 24, 2026
Meanwhile, Mamdani and Sánchez are continuing to contribute to a climate of hatred against Jews. Mamdani is still calling for Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested for alleged war crimes, while Sánchez told the United Nations this week that the Israeli prime minister “continues to perpetrate” genocide in Gaza. Words like these have a way of following Jews into the streets.