Anti-Semitic attacks spike, killing most Jews in decades

TEL AVIV, Israel – A report released by Israeli researchers says violent attacks on Jews spiked significantly in 2018, with the largest number of Jews killed in anti-Semitic acts in decades.

The attacks were capped by the deadly shooting that killed 11 worshippers at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27.

The Tel Aviv University researchers say assaults targeting Jews rose 13% in 2018.

They recorded nearly 400 cases worldwide, with about a quarter of the major violent cases in the U.S. But the spike was most dramatic in western Europe. In Germany, for instance, there was a 70% increase in anti-Semitic violence.

The annual report, on the eve of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, comes just days after another fatal synagogue shooting in California that killed one woman and wounded three people.