They Firebombed Our Synagogues — And You Said Nothing

A synagogue was set on fire. Again.

Since October 7, Jewish houses of worship have been torched in Germany, France, Australia, Canada, the United States, and beyond. Doors smashed. Entrances doused in accelerants. Molotov cocktails thrown.

You may have missed the stories. Many did. These attacks are too often buried under euphemisms — dismissed as “unrest,” framed as fringe, or worse, justified by the “context.”

Let’s be clear: this isn’t protest. It’s coordinated hate. And our governments are failing in their most basic duty — to protect citizens from violence, incitement, and terror.

On July 4, in Melbourne, Australia, someone poured gasoline across the front of a synagogue and lit it ablaze — while 20 worshippers gathered inside for Shabbat. They survived. But the message was unmistakable: We know who you are. We know where you gather. And we want you afraid.

I’ve seen what happens when the truth is buried — when generations are raised in silence and the reckoning comes too late.

Years ago, my firm merged with a German law firm. One senior partner, raised in a household silent about the Holocaust, only learned the truth at university. That Christmas, he confronted his father:

“What did you do during the war? Which camps did you guard? How many Jews did you kill?”

His father slapped him across the face. They never spoke again.

He carried shame that wasn’t his to bear — but also the conviction that truth must come first. Not silence. Not euphemism. Truth.

And the truth today is this: synagogues are being attacked not because of politics, but because they are Jewish. Because of identity. Because of faith. Because of hate.

This isn’t isolated. As Chair of the American Section of the World Jewish Congress, I hear the same message from Jewish leaders across the globe: our communities are under threat — and we are being left to protect ourselves.

Yes, some governments — including the United States — have provided security funding. But none have met the moment. Not one. Not yet.

That may be starting to change. In recent weeks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi have taken long-overdue steps to align US policy with this moment of crisis. By sanctioning foreign actors who incite antisemitic violence and pursuing domestic accountability for those who cross the line from speech to threat, they’ve shown what serious leadership looks like. It’s not enough — but it’s a start. And it should set the standard for others.

If the state can protect parliaments, embassies, stadiums, and shopping malls, it can protect a synagogue. If antisemitism is real enough to build Holocaust memorials, it is real enough to fund police protection.

Some argue these are simply protests. But when rallies echo with “Globalize the Intifada” and “From the River to the Sea,” let’s not pretend we don’t understand the message. These are not chants for justice. They are incitement to violence — calls to spread terrorism and erase a people. And when left unchecked, they do what incitement has always done: inspire action.

Governments must intervene — and they must act on both fronts.

First, they must prevent. That means enacting and enforcing laws that treat violent hate speech — online and offline — as the public threat it is. It means education systems that inoculate the next generation against antisemitism before it metastasizes into action.

Second, protect. Fund real security at synagogues and schools. Not just fences, but personnel. Not just gestures but guarantees. And when there is an attack — arrest. Prosecute. Punish.

Jewish safety cannot be partisan. It cannot be conditional. It is a baseline measure of whether any nation is serious about the promise of citizenship.

To those who say the line is blurry — who claim these incidents are complicated or contextual — I say: history is watching.

The fires have already started. The Jewish people will endure — we always do. But if governments cannot — or will not — protect their Jewish citizens, they will lose far more than credibility. They will lose the right to claim they ever stood for justice at all.

We don’t ask for favors. We demand protection. And we demand it now.

The author is Chairman, World Jewish Congress, American Section.

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