Kessler’s death has received widespread attention as it has come during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza as well as during a reported spike in antisemitism in the United States.
Jewish respondents were 79% more likely than the general population to believe that their local politicians were doing a good job responding to the war.
"Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict," according to local sheriffs.
"On a sacred Jewish holiday, the terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure evil on the people of Israel, slaughtering 1,400 Jews and taking hundreds more hostage," Joe Biden said.
Last week, about 100,000 protesters took part in a march organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and in the aftermath police faced criticism from some lawmakers for not being tougher.
Amid this backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions, antisemitic incidents have disturbingly proliferated.
Police in the British capital ramped up patrols amid growing tensions, but said there had been 218 antisemitic offences between Oct. 1 and 18, compared to 15 in the same period in 2022.
"We are not the only ones being targeted in this moment,” the Jewish Council for Public Affairs said in a statement.
That disparity is consistent with years of hate crimes reporting showing that Jewish victims far outnumber other religious targets.
71-year-old Joseph Czuba is believed to have killed the 6-year-old in a hate crime motivated by the ongoing conflict in Israel.
JPOST Digital Library
