Attack in Zurich

Perpetrator is said to have shouted “Death to all Jews”

Police officers in front of the Agudas Achim Swiss Synagogue in Zurich

(Bild: AFP)

Details are gradually emerging following the knife attack on an orthodox Jew in Zurich on Saturday evening. According to witnesses, the 15-year-old shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest" in Arabic) and "Death to all Jews" shortly before the attack.

The "Neue Züricher Zeitung" reported online on Sunday that it was a Swiss man with Arab roots. As reported, a 50-year-old orthodox Jew was seriously injured with a knife in the center of Zurich. The suspected perpetrator was arrested on the spot. The victim was taken to hospital and is now said to be out of danger.

Security measures tightened
Among other things, the police are investigating an anti-Semitic motive. Witnesses reported that the 15-year-old had shouted "Death to all Jews" and "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") shortly before the attack. The city police consulted with Jewish organizations and stepped up security around places with a Jewish connection as a precautionary measure. A vigil was held on Sunday evening.

Here you can see two pictures of the vigil.

"Very dangerous trend"
The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) reacted with shock after the knife attack. Since the terrorist attack on Israel by the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, there has been a "very dangerous trend" to misuse the war in the Gaza Strip as a justification for attacks on Jews. CER President Pinchas Goldschmidt said that the cowardly act in his home town also saddened him because the suspected attacker was a teenager.

In fact, anti-Semitic incidents have increased in Switzerland since the beginning of the war. In the west of the country, anti-Semitic incidents increased by 68 percent in 2023. Almost half of these occurred after October 7.

No acute danger
However, the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) does not anticipate any acute danger for Jewish people and institutions. Members of the Jewish community should nevertheless be careful.