Safe destinations for Jews

On Sept. 23 in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights, a knife-wielding man allegedly chased a Jewish resident while shouting Nazi slogans; he was arrested and charged with a hate crime. In Los Angeles, authorities arrested a man on Oct. 2 over an alleged Molotov-cocktail plot against a Jewish preschool; no attack occurred. Lancaster County police also reported antisemitic signs at a synagogue on Sept. 19–20, including a Nazi symbol, and a threatening gesture toward a congregant. On Oct. 9, anti-Israel protesters interrupted Jerry Seinfeld’s Chicago performance; no violence was reported. These incidents were localized; stay alert near Jewish institutions and demonstrations.

On October 3, two men were charged in an alleged plot targeting a Manchester synagogue and Jewish museum; police said they believed it was isolated and there was no ongoing public threat. In London, students disrupted a lecture by a lawyer who represented British families of hostages taken by Hamas, with reported chants and intimidation. The Green Party also adopted a motion equating Zionism with racism, prompting criticism from Jewish groups. Travelers may wish to stay alert near Jewish sites and demonstrations, and follow local security guidance; the reported incidents were in Manchester and London.

On September 20, a gunman fired outside Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Synagogue during Yom Kippur, injuring a police officer; police described it as a hate-motivated attack. Antisemitic flyers were then distributed at the synagogue and in the surrounding area on October 1. These incidents were concentrated in Belleville, Ontario; travelers elsewhere should stay alert near Jewish institutions and demonstrations and follow local security guidance. On October 16, a youth was convicted over a plot targeting Jews in Ottawa that dated to 2023.

On October 20, Australia’s student ombudsman found that the University of Technology Sydney mishandled Jewish students’ complaints about campus events; the findings concerned events in 2025, not a new attack. Pro-Palestinian rallies across several cities on October 11 were reported as peaceful, with no reported incidents targeting Jews or Israelis. Travelers should remain alert around Jewish events and avoid demonstrations if tensions rise.

On October 15, a Hamburg court sentenced two men for plotting attacks on Jewish and pro-Israel figures in Germany; the plot included preparations for an arson attack on a kosher shop in Berlin. Separately, Berlin police reported repeated assaults with pepper spray and blows on October 7–9 against a shopkeeper who displayed posters opposing antisemitism. A large Berlin demonstration on October 10 was mostly peaceful, though Israel-directed chants were reported. Israel’s government classifies Germany as medium threat and advises increased precautions.

U.S. Jewish-school educators canceled a planned visit to Reggio Emilia in October after controversy over a statement condemning Israel and reported scrutiny of participants’ profiles; the mayor later apologized and said the statement was not a condition of attendance. Separately, police searched 17 suspects on September 25 in a neo-Nazi investigation involving proposed attacks on a synagogue, mosque, and school. On October 10, large pro-Palestinian marches took place in Rome and elsewhere; an effigy of Israel’s prime minister was burned in Turin. Avoid demonstrations and follow local security guidance.

A synagogue in Paris’s 19th arrondissement was ransacked during nationwide riots on October 17–18. French Jewish community leaders said available evidence did not indicate an antisemitic attack and that robbery was possible. Jewish-owned shops in Marseille were also damaged or looted, but no religion-based motive was established. Protests brought violent clashes and widespread damage in several cities; avoid demonstrations and nearby unrest, and check local alerts before traveling.

On October 7, a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Amsterdam displayed support for Hamas, praised the October 7 attacks and burned an Israeli flag; police blocked marchers from reaching the Jewish quarter, and the mayor later dispersed the protest. On October 15, Alkmaar barred visiting Hapoel Be’er Sheva supporters from a match and moved planned protests because authorities feared clashes. No physical attack on Jewish travelers in the Netherlands was verified in the reports reviewed. Avoid demonstrations and check local arrangements around high-profile Israel-related events.

On October 15 in Madrid, around 200 protesters opposed performances by Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company and shouted insults at arriving audience members; the shows went ahead, and no physical attack was reported. Avoid demonstrations and leave if a crowd becomes hostile. The reported incident concerned an Israeli performance and its audience; it does not establish a nationwide pattern of violence against Jewish travelers.

On October 19, reports from Athens’s Exarchia district described red paint on short-term-rental buildings and a “Zionists not welcome” slogan amid local anger over Israeli property investment and rising rents; the report described property markings, not violence against travelers. Jewish and Israeli visitors should avoid confrontations and take extra care in Exarchia. Greece maintains close strategic ties with Israel, though local activism can be hostile.

Israeli authorities prohibit Israelis from entering Iran and advise against flights over Iranian territory. On October 7, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard praised the Hamas-led attack and vowed to continue its campaign against Israel; an Iranian army spokesman also raised the possibility of pre-emptive strikes. On September 19, Iran executed a man convicted of passing missile-site information to Israel, highlighting the risks linked to suspected cooperation with Israel.

On October 15–16, a Dublin hotel canceled about 70 rooms booked for delegates to an antisemitism conference after its manager reportedly asked whether the event was linked to the IDF; Ireland’s Jewish community council is considering legal action. The chief rabbi said security concerns led a synagogue to avoid publicizing an October 7 memorial, while a large Dublin pro-Palestinian march on October 10 reported no violence targeting Jews or Israelis. No physical attack on Jewish or Israeli travelers was identified in the reviewed reports. Travelers should use ordinary situational awareness and check security arrangements before attending Jewish community events.

An Israeli man was killed on Koh Phangan on September 30; investigators examined a possible ideological motive, which remains unconfirmed. On October 8, Thai authorities searched three Jewish- and Chabad-linked sites in Bangkok as part of a broader investigation into suspected foreign-business-law violations; Chabad said it welcomed the inquiry. Officials inspected Chiang Mai’s Chabad House on October 14 and reported no violations. In September, anti-Israel protests in Bangkok and outside Chabad in Patong included anti-Jewish messages and prompted tighter security, with no reported violence. Israel advises avoiding the southernmost part of Thailand, excluding the islands; its Level 2 advisory applies to the rest of the country.

On October 7 in Eskilstuna, a man tore down an Israeli flag at a memorial marking the Hamas attack; when a party official tried to retrieve it, the man swung at him and injured his hand. The suspect was arrested, and the incident was reported as a suspected hate crime. On September 26 at the Gothenburg Book Fair, a man threw red liquid at an Israeli flag at a Sweden-Israel Friendship Association stand and was removed by police. On September 16, Sweden expelled an Iranian embassy employee amid government allegations of Iranian threats to Jewish and Israeli interests, including through criminal networks. Stay alert at public events and around visible Israeli or Jewish symbols, and avoid confrontation.

On October 5–9, a Geneva queer film festival removed an Israeli film after boycott pressure, a sign of hostility toward Israeli cultural participation rather than a reported attack on Jewish travelers. On October 11, a pro-Palestinian march in Zurich was peaceful; a separate Lausanne demonstration involved property damage and police tear gas, with no reported targeting of Jews or Jewish property. A Swiss Jewish monitoring group also reported growing security concerns. Travelers should avoid demonstrations and check local updates; no recent targeted physical attack on Jews was identified in the reports reviewed.

In late September, an Israeli family said a food stand in Bad Hofgastein, Salzburg, refused to serve them because they were Jewish; the municipality said the allegation should be investigated and that it was awaiting the authorities’ findings. At the Austria–Israel football match in Linz on September 24, pro-Palestinian demonstrations passed peacefully, with no reported incidents. Separately, figures published in October recorded 671 antisemitic incidents nationwide in January–June 2026, including 12 physical attacks and 18 threats; the total was below the same period in 2025 but over twice the 2023 figure.

On October 12, a fire was set at a nursery near the historic Kadavumbhagam Synagogue in Kochi, damaging outdoor signs. A suspect was arrested; investigators are examining possible handler and cryptocurrency links, but have not established a motive or confirmed that the synagogue was targeted. Travelers near Jewish sites in Kochi should stay alert and follow local police instructions. Israel’s government advises avoiding Kashmir except Ladakh and taking heightened precautions elsewhere in India.

On September 30, a co-pilot attacked the captain aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying Israeli passengers. On October 9, UAE prosecutors said he had planned to seize the plane and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport; the flight diverted safely to Saudi Arabia. The incident targeted an Israel-bound flight, not Jewish travelers generally in the UAE, but commercial flights were disrupted and travelers were left stranded. Check flight status and airline guidance before traveling. Israel’s current medium-threat advisory urges avoiding non-essential travel.

On October 7, hundreds protested in Bogotá against Colombia’s renewed ties with Israel, including chants of “out with Zionists”; reports reviewed described no violence or attacks on Jews. Avoid demonstrations and the area around the Israeli embassy when protests are scheduled. In contrast, Colombian officials attended an October 7 commemoration with Jewish community members, and the government has publicly moved to strengthen ties with Israel. The reported protest was in Bogotá; no comparable recent incident elsewhere in the country was identified.

Israeli authorities prohibit Israelis from traveling to Lebanon and from flying over it. On October 17, Lebanon announced it would send a military delegation to U.S.-backed talks with Israel in Florida on October 20; President Joseph Aoun also discussed post-UNIFIL security arrangements in southern Lebanon with France’s foreign minister. This reflects ongoing conflict alongside limited diplomatic engagement; reports reviewed did not identify a confirmed violent incident specifically targeting Jews in the past 30 days.