Oct 06, 2026

Jewish News Today: Three Years On, Oct. 7 Reverberates Across Diaspora Communities — From London Marches to French Synagogues

Three years after the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, the anniversary is generating fresh waves of tension for Jewish communities across Europe and North America. The UK Green Party's decision to define Zionism as racism — reported here yesterday — is drawing an international diplomatic response, while antisemitic incidents in Canada and warnings of a surge in France underscore the pressures facing the Jewish diaspora on this sombre date.

US Antisemitism Envoy Challenges UK Government Over Green Party Motion

The Green Party's passage of a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism — covered in yesterday's article — is now drawing a formal international response. The Jewish Chronicle reports that the US Special Envoy on antisemitism, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, has said he will make "representations" to UK government ministers over the motion. Kaploun suggested the resolution could fall within the definition of antisemitism set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The JC also carried a first-hand account by a reporter who witnessed the vote, describing scenes of tears and shock among Jewish Green Party members as the motion passed.

JNS analysis notes that UK leftist parties appear to be "outdoing each other's anti-Israel policies," pointing to both the Greens' resolution and what it describes as Labour's own shift away from Jerusalem, and warning of the risks those political movements pose to local Jewish communities.

London Police Refuse to Ban Oct. 7 Student March

The Metropolitan Police have defended a decision to allow an anti-Israel student march to proceed on the anniversary of the attacks, according to JNS. The report says the decision came despite calls from Jewish advocacy groups to ban the demonstration. The Metropolitan Police did not reverse their position. The Board of Deputies president, Phil Rosenberg, speaking on the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, said the "modern far left has sunk to promoting antisemitism on our streets," according to the Jewish Chronicle.

Israel Warns France of Antisemitic Surge; Security Urged at Synagogues

Israel's Diaspora Affairs minister has formally warned Paris of what he described as a coming surge in antisemitic activity around the anniversary, JNS reports. The minister, identified by JNS as Chikli, said some planned protests in France "openly celebrate the massacre" and offered to share Israeli intelligence with French authorities. He also urged the French government to tighten security at synagogues. JNS separately reported that US envoy Kaploun, commenting on a different case, said warnings about Jew-hatred in some countries have repeatedly "fallen on deaf ears."

Canada: Antisemitic Flyers Appear Near Synagogue Targeted on Yom Kippur

In the Ontario town of Belleville, police are investigating antisemitic flyers distributed in the neighbourhood surrounding the Sons of Jacob synagogue, according to both the Forward and JTA. The flyers appeared approximately two weeks after a man charged at the same synagogue on Yom Kippur. Police have issued a statement asking the public for tips. The juxtaposition of the flyers with the earlier attack at the synagogue has alarmed the local community.

Emily Damari Thanks British Public Three Years After Her Abduction

British-Israeli Emily Damari, who was held hostage in Gaza for 471 days after being taken on 7 October 2023, has issued a public statement thanking the British people "who stood with us," the Jewish Chronicle reports. Damari urged people to remember those "we lost" three years ago and called on the public to continue fighting antisemitism. Her words carry particular resonance for the British Jewish community, for whom Damari became one of the most recognisable faces of the hostage crisis.

Vatican-Jewish Relations Strained Since Oct. 7, German Report Finds

The Jüdische Allgemeine reports that the relationship between the Vatican and the Jewish world has been severely damaged since 7 October 2023. The publication says it began with the reactions of Christian representatives in the aftermath of the attacks and has continued to deteriorate. The article describes the current state of the relationship as one in which "hardly anything works anymore" between the two communities.

Germany: Millions in Antisemitism Funds Go Unspent — Again

The Jüdische Allgemeine, citing the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel, reports that several million euros allocated by Berlin's Senate for the fight against antisemitism have gone unspent this year. According to the report, this is the third consecutive year in which such funds have not been used. The finding comes as JNS publishes a broader feature on German Jewish fears for their future, noting that electoral gains by both the AfD on the far right and Die Linke on the far left are deepening anxieties within the community and testing what JNS describes as "the political centre's ability to keep both parties from power."

German SPD Official Criticised for Social Media Post on Israeli "Blame"

Germany's Federal Commissioner for Human Rights, Lars Castellucci of the SPD, came under sharp criticism after a post on the social media platform X, the Jüdische Allgemeine reports. The publication says Castellucci appeared to suggest Israelis bore some responsibility for a lack of international empathy. Separately, the Jüdische Allgemeine reports that Germany's Foreign Ministry publicly rebuked Castellucci after he described the Israeli government as "far-right" — language the ministry characterised as unacceptable. The Foreign Ministry's criticism of one of its own government's officials is unusual and drew significant notice in German political circles.

IDF: 4,000 Oct. 7 Attackers Killed; 2,000 Still at Large

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that 4,000 of the approximately 6,000 Gazans who took part in the October 7 attacks have been killed, and vowed to "eliminate" the remaining 2,000, according to both JNS and the Jewish Chronicle. Israel's intelligence chief was also quoted in the Jewish Chronicle as saying roughly 2,000 participants in the Hamas-led attack remain alive, adding: "We will get every last one of them." The Jüdische Allgemeine separately reports that a senior Hamas figure described as Sinwar's "right hand" survived an Israeli air strike on Saturday; the Israeli military confirmed the strike took place but acknowledged the target survived.

flydubai Attack: Conspiracy Theories Spread Online

JTA reports that the attack on a flydubai aircraft — referenced in yesterday's coverage — has spawned a wave of online conspiracy theories, ranging from claims of a "false flag" operation to the term "Bibiwood." JTA says some of the theories are rooted in antisemitism and are "fueling more hatred and mistrust" across social media platforms.

Jewish Public School Students in the US Prepare for Anniversary Tensions

JNS reports that Jewish students in American public schools have been taking a proactive approach ahead of the October 7 anniversary. Sharon Sorkin of the North American Values Institute told JNS: "Jewish students should never feel they have to hide who they are to get through Oct. 7."

Oct. 7's Legacy for European Jewish Communities

Writing for JNS, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt argues that October 7 has fundamentally changed Jewish life in Europe, saying the Jewish belief that "the centre would hold against antisemitism has been badly damaged." His assessment echoes the atmosphere of this third anniversary across the diaspora — from London's streets to Berlin's unspent anti-hate budgets to Belleville's flyer-strewn pavements.