The attack is being investigated as a hate crime. Security has been increased around Jewish institutions.
The wife of the secretary of the Jewish community in Helsingborg, Sweden, was stabbed several times on Tuesday morning, reports TPS. The woman is reported in serious condition.
The stabber fled the scene, said the news agency, adding that the attack is being investigated as a hate crime.
The woman was identified as in her 60s. The identity of the assailant was not clear.
Security has been increased around Jewish institutions in the city, according to Arutz Sheva.
A member of the Jewish community said that they live in such a hostile environment that they are afraid to identify themselves as Jews.
‘Not safe to be a Jew in Sweden’
Talia, a young Jewish woman who lives in Stockholm, told World Israel News, “I’m not shocked. It’s not safe to be a Jew in Sweden.”
Even the Orthodox rabbi wears a hat rather than a kippah, fearing for his safety, she said.
She declined to give her surname, saying that when she looks for work, a potential employer could find the article. “It’s not good for one’s career here to be pro-Israel,” she explained.
“Once again, Jews in Europe are in danger,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin stated. “Today’s brutal stabbing of a member of the Jewish community in Helsingborg, Sweden is yet another reminder that we cannot rely on fading memories of the Holocaust to keep today’s Jewish communities safe, as our schools, synagogues and community centers are turning into fortresses.
“We will fight anti-Semitism with all our might, and will speak out against these dreadful incidents. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, her family and community.”
In a somewhat related development, it was reported on Monday that Poland’s Foreign Ministry announced that it was cancelling the visit of a senior Israeli delegation to Warsaw to discuss Holocaust reparations.
The ministry said that it had made the decision after “Israel made last-minute changes in the composition of the delegation, indicating that the talks will focus mainly on issues related to the return of Jewish property during the Holocaust.”
The issue of returning property to Jews who suffered during the Holocaust has become a bone of contention between Israel and Poland recently. The issue has led to a wave of protests in Poland.
On Saturday, thousands of Polish nationalists marched to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, protesting that the U.S. is putting pressure on Poland to compensate Jews whose families lost property during the Holocaust.
(World Israel News)
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