A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, Oct. 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Italian Jewish teenagers attending a summer camp in Bulgaria became the latest targets of antisemitic abuse after being harassed by a group of extremists, amid an increasingly hostile climate for Jews and Israelis across Europe marked by a surge in intimidation, hate-fueled violence, and targeted attacks.

Organized by the religious Zionist youth movement Bnei Akiva in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, the camp was targeted Sunday when a group of black-clad extremists gathered outside the hotel housing the teenagers and counselors, chanting antisemitic slurs and Nazi slogans, including “Sieg Heil,” in what authorities described as a deliberate act of intimidation.

According to the Italian news agency LaPresse, camp organizers filed a complaint with Bulgarian police after the incident, which luckily left no one injured, prompting authorities to launch an investigation to identify those responsible.

Political leaders and Jewish organizations across Italy swiftly condemned this latest antisemitic attack, warning that it reflects an increasingly dangerous climate of hatred and intimidation targeting Jewish communities across Europe.

Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, strongly condemned the incident and urged Bulgarian authorities to swiftly identify and prosecute those responsible, warning that acts of antisemitic intimidation must not go unpunished.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also denounced the attack, expressing his “deep solidarity” with the teenagers and reaffirming Italy’s commitment to confronting antisemitism wherever it emerges.

“I condemn this latest episode of antisemitism, a poison that must be fought and a form of hatred and discrimination that must be eradicated,” the Italian top diplomat wrote in a post on X.

Esprimo solidarietà al gruppo di giovani ebrei italiani aggrediti e minacciati all’interno di un hotel a Sofia. Condanno questo ennesimo episodio di antisemitismo, un germe che va combattuto, una forma di odio e discriminazione che va estirpata. Sono vicino al Presidente Victor…

— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) August 4, 2026

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini also denounced the attack, warning that the growing climate of hatred and incitement against Jewish communities is fueling increasingly brazen acts of antisemitic intimidation.

“Any form of ‘hunting Jews’ is vile and unthinkable,” Salvini wrote in a post on X.

Quanto accaduto a Sofia è gravissimo. Condanniamo con fermezza ogni tipo di violenza da parte di estremisti, nazisti o comunisti, nei confronti delle comunità ebraiche. Odiosa e inaccettabile ogni forma di “caccia all’ebreo”, spesso alimentata anche da un clima di odio e… pic.twitter.com/zKRwCeYcs2

— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) August 4, 2026

Across North America and Europe, antisemitism appears to be entering a more dangerous and violent phase, with Jewish communities increasingly facing shootings, physical assaults, arson attacks, intimidation campaigns, and other targeted acts of violence.

Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish communities across Europe and beyond have faced a sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes and anti-Israel hostility, fueling growing fears over an increasingly hostile environment marked by targeted attacks, harassment, and violence.

According to a European Union survey published earlier this year, over half of Europeans view antisemitism as a serious problem in their countries, with almost seven in ten saying the war in Gaza influences how Jewish people are perceived, as hostility toward Jews and Israelis across the continent shows no sign of easing.

Western countries, especially those with large Muslim-majority immigrant populations, expressed the greatest concern about rising antisemitism and were most likely to link it to Israel.