International Business Development Consultant
88 Years After Kristallnacht: The Glass Shatters Again
The recent rise of antisemitic activity worldwide has challenged the famous post-World War II slogan “Never Again” in a way not seen since the victory over Nazi Germany 81 years ago. It seems that not a day goes by that we are not witness to attacks against Jews, harassment and outright direct discrimination everywhere in the Western world, that same world that made this promise to itself in 1945.
Worldwide, the standard response of the Jewish community to these attacks has constantly been that this is not Germany, 1938, that the world is a different place today and we dare not let ourselves think that those terrifying times are upon us once again. Yet recent incidents in Europe and the US are distinctly reminiscent of what took place during those dark days leading up to the Nazi takeover of the German government by politicians who used the democratic process to destroy democracy itself, often in the name of exercising their right to free speech.
Two of these are illustrative of the point and should be sufficient to give all of us pause.
Last month during the widespread civil unrest across France there was a filmed attack on Jewish homes and properties in Marseille. The incident occurred during nationwide protests over the rising cost of living, which saw an estimated 800,000 people take to the streets and thousands of shops vandalized or looted.
In Marseille specifically, several Jewish-owned businesses were set on fire, and community alerts reported rioters breaking into a residential building and looting a Jewish apartment after identifying a mezuzah on the entry door of the building signifying that there were Jewish residents inside.
France’s Jewish community security organization, the Service de Protection de la Communauté Juive (SPCJ), stated that there was no definitive evidence that Jewish institutions, homes, or businesses were deliberately targeted or singled out because of religion. Yet reports following this activity indicated that antisemites in Marseille had compiled a list of addresses of French Jews living in the city to make it easier to target them when so motivated.
The SPCJ and other French Jewish groups stressed that while Jewish properties suffered severe damage, they were caught up in broader mob violence that hit thousands of public institutions, banks, and businesses nationwide. The question remains whether the assessment of the SPCJ is accurate or simply designed to calm the understandable fears of Jews regarding a possible return of Europe to the bad old days preceding World War II?
On the other side of the Atlantic in Philadelphia, often referred to as the “Cradle of American Liberty,” anti-Israel activists have scheduled a “boycott ride” bicycle rally targeting Jewish-owned and Israeli-associated local businesses in and around Rittenhouse Square in that city.
The event is scheduled for today, Sunday, November 8th, a day before the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, when Nazi paramilitary forces (such as the SA and SS) and Hitler Youth carried out a violent pogrom against Jewish communities. They burned over 1,400 synagogues, vandalized or destroyed thousands of Jewish-owned businesses and homes, and desecrated cemeteries.
In Philadelphia the event is sponsored by (a) activist cycling group Philly Bike On Your Left, in collaboration with (b) pro-Palestinian activist campaign Boycott CookNSolo, (c) anti-Zionist, left-wing advocacy organization Jewish Voices for Peace and (d) the Philly Solidarity Calendar, an activist social media account and community resource there that publishes a working schedule of local pro-Palestinian, anti-war, labor, and community-action events, teach-ins, book talks, and demonstrations.
The Philadelphia event is set to target local food emporiums that are Jewish owned, including: Yehuda Sichel’s Huda, Marti Lieberman’s Mac Mart, Michael Solomonov’s Dizengoff, K’Far Café, and Goldie, as well as Allan Domb’s Schlesinger’s.
The event is planned so as to intimidate Jewish-owned businesses and, according to a now-deleted Instagram post, to “show these zio business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are.” The overall aim is to oust Jewish- and Israeli-owned businesses from the city.
Aside from Solomonov, all the other businesses are owned by American Jews, a distinction not evident in the rally flyer, which – in language reminiscent of Nazi propaganda against German Jewish businesses like “Kauf nicht bei Juden!” (“Don’t buy from Jews!”), declares: “No business for Zionists! These Zionist establishments must go! Not in our city!”
This is not the first time that we have witnessed this type of activity in Europe and North America. However, statistics clearly demonstrate that hate crimes against Jews have increased dramatically since the start of the war against Hamas after the October 7th massacre.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation tracks religiously motivated hate crimes annually. Federal data shows that anti-Jewish hate crimes account for nearly 70% of all religion-based hate crimes in the US, remaining the most frequent target among religious groups. In 2024, the FBI recorded 1,938 single-bias anti-Jewish hate crimes, marking a 5.8% increase over the previous year.
The Anti-Defamation League documented 9,354 incidents in 2024 and 6,274 incidents in 2025 in the US (a 33% decrease year-over-year, though still roughly five times higher than levels recorded a decade prior). Physical assaults and weapon-related incidents reached high levels, with fatal attacks occurring in 2025 as well.
As Jews living with historical memory, we need to make sure we do not lull ourselves into thinking that in this presumably enlightened period in world history that there is no going back to 1938. Yes, we have a country, an army to protect us, and incredible resiliency. For those of us who believe, we also have faith that the One above will protect us. Nevertheless, that does not absolve us of the obligation to be ever watchful for those societal trends that threaten us as a people. It is our obligation as well to enlist our friends and neighbors worldwide in a combined effort to repel the forces of evil allied against us.
The good people of Philadelphia, Marseille and in every city in which Jews are threatened should be encouraged to join with us in the fight against those who would challenge our right to live our lives without fear of our neighbors.
In these times it is worthwhile to remember the words of William Penn, the founder of Philadelphia in 1682, who said: “Right is right even when everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong even when everyone is for it.” The mobs who mobilize against us should be aware that their cause is not validated by their numbers.