Antisemitic attacks on the rise amid Israel-Hamas war, what are Spain doing to protect the Jewish community?

The Israel-Hamas war’s impact is being felt all around the world in some way, shape or form, even by people who have never been over to the Middle East.

This is because antisemitic attacks are said to be on the rise, especially in the United Kingdom, where reports claim they have quadrupled since Hamas militants launched a savage attack on Israel in response to what had been going on between them and Palestinian people for years.

The attack spurred a spark of celebrations and demonstrations from Palestinians, while Israelis looked to mourn and pray for those who have lost loved ones and may have been kidnapped by the Hamas group, but it’s also started to turn far uglier.

All over Europe, there have been incidents of Palestinian people and Israelis squaring up and getting violent, more verbally than physically, and governments are having to step up and do more to protect their Jewish communities.

How are Spain protecting their Jewish communities?

Spain have certainly moved quickly to take action and protect the Jewish people who may well feel vulnerable, especially when they are going to try and practise their faith and religion, which is no surprise when the main synagogue in Madrid was defaced.

It’s claimed that on the synagogue read ‘Free Palestine’ which was right next to a star of David that had been crossed out with graffiti, and while it was said to have been removed swiftly afterwards, the threat is clearly still there from some Palestinians.

Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who is serving as minister of Spain’s interior ministry, has stepped up and bolstered police surveillance and around synagogues as well as key Jewish landmarks to try and avoid a repeat of that Madrid incident.

This is according to Isaac Benzaquén Pinto, president of the Jewish Federation, who has been attempting to keep the space and everyone calm within the Jewish community during this worrying and distressing time.

It’s estimated that between 12,000 and 15,000 Jews currently live in Madrid, so it will indeed require a large police presence to try and make them feel comfortable in the city they live in, but they can also only do so much in such a large area.

How are Jewish people in Spain feeling after the Hamas attack?

Benzaquén Pinto has reiterated that the Jewish community will continue to stand together for the people of Israel who’ve lost their lives, he said: “Our community has always been known for being tightly knit whenever it is targeted, and this is an attack on Israel and all of Jewry as a whole.

“As to this new wave of violence against Israel and the Jewish people, unfortunately, this is not new.

“We, as well as international organizations and the European Union, have been condemning this renewed surge of violence for a long time.”

Benzaquen Pinto is right that antisemitic attacks are not new for Jews all over the world because some people are simply unable to live in mixed communities and no matter what country people live in there will likely always be some sort of hate crimes going on.

It’s just that when attacks like this occur, it sparks emotions that have perhaps been hidden away and squashed below for many years, so the Spanish police, like all other forces across Europe, have a big job to keep Jewish communities safe right now.