The children’s bookstore in Sant Cugat, Spain, was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti and slogans, prompting outrage from the local Jewish community. Photo: Screenshot

Jews and Israelis across Europe continue to face a troubling surge in antisemitic abuse and discrimination — including death threats, exclusion from businesses, and harassment — amid an increasingly hostile climate that has only intensified in recent weeks.

In Germany, a well-known pizzeria has prohibited Israelis from entering and receiving service at the restaurant, marking one of the latest antisemitic incidents targeting the country’s Jewish community during the war in Gaza.

Pizza Zulu, located in Bavaria in southeastern Germany, posted a sign outside its shop stating that Israelis will no longer be admitted, while insisting the decision was neither political nor racist.

“We love all human beings regardless of where they come from. We believe children should not be harmed regardless of the circumstances. We are an international group, and we belong to civil society, and therefore we will not keep silent like the rest of the world,” the sign posted on the restaurant’s facade read.

“We decided to protest, and our protest is neither political nor racist. We will no longer accept Israelis in the place. We will welcome them back when they decide to open their eyes, ears, and hearts,” it continued.

Following sharp criticism and outrage from the local Jewish community, the sign was reportedly removed hours later, but it remains unclear whether local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident or if the restaurant is now welcoming Israelis back into the establishment.

Meanwhile, the Bavarian antisemitism commissioner, Ludwig Spaenle, reported that in a separate incident in Bavaria, a music shop demanded that an Israeli customer read a statement opposing the war in Gaza before being allowed to rent equipment.

These latest antisemitic incidents come amid a surge in anti-Jewish hate crimes and anti-Israel sentiment across Europe and around the world since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, leaving Jewish communities increasingly alarmed over targeted attacks in a growingly hostile climate.

In Spain, a group of Jewish students received anonymous letters containing Nazi imagery, anti-Israel slogans, and a message reading: “Jewish rats. Palestine will win!”

After students in Madrid came forward expressing fear for their safety, local authorities opened an investigation into the incident.

Community leaders denounced the incident, saying that such messages reflect a troubling mix of deep-rooted antisemitism and modern-day anti-Israel hostility.

“This is not criticism of Israel or the conflict. This is naked, old-fashioned bigotry, designed to terrorize an entire community,” Madrid’s Chief Rabbi Moisés Bendahan said in a statement.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE) also condemned the incident, urging authorities to pursue prompt, visible prosecutions to prevent further hate crimes.

“This is a chilling warning to all Western democracies that antisemitism remains a potent threat to safety, order, and communal belonging,” the FCJE wrote in a post on X.

The World Jewish Congress also denounced the incident, calling on Spanish authorities to strengthen protections for Jewish communities and reaffirm Madrid’s commitment to religious freedom and minority rights.

“We stand with Spanish Jews in demanding a clear public condemnation of all forms of antisemitism, no matter the guise,” the statement read.

In Switzerland, a kosher hotel in Davos recently received a letter containing antisemitic insults, Holocaust references, Nazi imagery, and explicit death threats warning, “we will come and kill you all.”

Local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident after receiving the letter.

The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) strongly condemned the incident, stressing its seriousness and noting that such threats were once rare in Switzerland.

“A death threat is not a verbal slur. It has a completely different nature and, above all, a completely different effect on the people concerned,” Jonathan Kreutner, SIG’s secretary-general, said in a statement.