May 5, 2026
STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – JAHM – STORIES
Governments in the UK, Australia and Canada are struggling to keep pace with increasing anti-Jewish hate – leading to attacks against Jews for simply being Jews. Antisemitism is no longer an outlier – it is becoming more normalized in America and around the world. Jewish communities and their allies, particularly across the English-speaking world, are pushing back. Their governments are starting to listen and take action – some are seeing results.
UK: A Community Under Siege
Essa Suleiman – a Somalia-born British citizen – recently stabbed two Jews after they left a synagogue in a London neighborhood. Security cameras captured 76-year-old Moshe Shine standing at a bus stop adjusting his kippah before the attack. Suleiman had been referred to Britain’s counter-radicalization Prevent program in 2020 – three years after being released from prison for stabbing two policemen and a police dog. He also was reported to the police after verbal and physical abuse against Jews attending vigils for the hostages held by Hamas.
Ashkan Asadian witnessed the assailant stab Shine in the neck. The Iranian-born British citizen immediately responded because he felt that “maybe I can save someone’s life – Jewish or non-Jewish, they are human.” He helped distract the attacker and alerted responding police officers. The local hero described Jewish and Iranian people living in London’s Golders Green neighborhood as having “a good relationship.”
The assault followed a series of recent arson attacks on synagogues and ambulances across London – dozens of arrests since late March in incidents claimed by an Iran-backed group. Last October, a Syria-born British jihadi pledging allegiance to the Islamic State rammed his car into worshippers outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur – Judaism’s holiest day. Two Jewish men died in the terror attack. Recently, police arrested two Green Party candidates for online incitement. One of them shared that “ramming a synagogue isn’t antisemitism, it’s revenge.”
Britain’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe following the most recent attack – the second-highest level. Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis: “The government has recognized they haven’t done enough and that the task is enormous. The silent majority are with us. It is time for them to raise their voice, to come out and say, ‘we will not tolerate this anymore’.”
The UK government listened – and it’s taking action. The government announced an additional $34 million in funding for the Jewish community and the British prime minister warned Iran that their interference in British society will not be tolerated. He stated: “Antisemitism is a crisis for all of us. It is a test of our values. It is not enough to simply say we stand with Jewish communities. We must show it.”
Britain’s Jewish community is the most targeted religious group in the UK – and recorded the highest rate of antisemitic assaults per capita in the diaspora. On May 10, the community will unite at a central London “Extinguish Antisemitism” march to demand action.
Australia: From a Safe Society to a Grieving One
A joint Jewish-Greek choral concert planned to honor victims of December’s Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre – and raise money for survivors – was cancelled after a majority of the Australian Hellenic Choir voted not to share a stage with Jewish performers. Choir President James Tsolakis did not mince words: “There’s a bit of antisemitism in the Greek community. I didn’t realize the extent of it. Unfortunately, we have a lot of people blaming the Jewish community for what’s happening in Israel and Palestine.” The choir’s management contradicted him, claiming scheduling conflicts.
Jewish Choral Society Chairperson Anne Spira: “Like many other Jewish artists in Australia since Oct. 7, 2023, our choir has been canceled. We have been de-platformed and it is deeply upsetting for us and the Jewish community.”
Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion issued its interim report days later – confirming that police had denied the Jewish community’s explicit request for additional security, including officers for the location of the Hanukkah massacre. The Jewish community’s security group had warned that a terrorist attack was “likely.” Father and son terrorists who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State murdered 15 people – including a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor.
Sheina Gutnick – the daughter of one of the victims – testified to the commission that “antisemitism was allowed to come into the open.” Jewish author Michael Gawenda explained how “friendships and mentorships ended after Oct. 7.” Executive Council of Australian Jewry leader Alex Ryvchin once thought Australia “was the safest place in the world, golden.”
The Commission issued 14 recommendations – including extending High Holy Day security protocols to all high-risk Jewish public events – all accepted by Australia’s government, which committed to implementing all changes across the country.
Canada: Records and Red Flags
Pro-Palestinian groups recently filed a complaint with Canada’s Revenue Agency seeking to strip 11 Jewish day schools of their charitable status – alleging their support for the Israeli military violates Canadian charity rules. The same coalition had previously targeted Jewish children’s camps with a similar campaign.
Canada recorded its highest number of antisemitic incidents in 2025 in 44 years of tracking – for the third consecutive year. B’nai Brith Canada: “Each incident documented in the audit meant pain, suffering and anguish for a human being, a fellow Canadian.”
The country’s Senate Human Rights Committee recently issued a report, Standing United Against Antisemitism: Protecting Communities and Strengthening Canadian Democracy. The Senate’s 22 recommendations include reinstating the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism – a position the prime minister eliminated in February. The report also fails to mention Islamic extremism – the ideology behind many of the most violent incidents it was designed to address.
The federal government’s response was that many of the recommendations already “reflects the government’s actions” and it is “taking concrete action against hate in all its forms – including antisemitism.”
A Worldwide Problem – and Solution
Anti-Jewish hatred is not limited to English-speaking countries. Assailants spray-painted an Italian train station with messages of, “May Jews burn alive,” “May Zionists be hanged” and “Let’s burn Israel” – with swastikas. In France, hundreds of Jewish doctors are considering moving to Israel because “it is becoming more and more difficult to live here because of antisemitism.”
In stark contrast, 15 countries convened in Uruguay in South America for the First Congress of Latin American Legislators Against Antisemitism. According to the Combat Antisemitism Movement: “The active participation of legislators from Latin America demonstrates that there is a real willingness to confront antisemitism by strengthening legal frameworks, promoting education and defending the democratic values that sustain our societies.”
Jewish communities and their allies can take meaningful steps to push back against the normalization of antisemitism and stand with those under threat.
JAHM Week 2 Focus: The Revolutionary and Founding Period, 1776–1825
This year, Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) celebrates the extraordinary contributions of Jewish Americans – from before the American Revolution to the present day – across sciences, music, arts, sports, literature, military, business, and civic life. Formally recognized by the U.S. government since 2006, JAHM also promotes education about Jewish history and combats antisemitism.
The spirit of JAHM is reaching all corners of American culture this May – even Sesame Street is getting in on the celebration! JAHM celebrations are already beginning across the country. President Trump officially proclaimed May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month, honoring Jewish Americans’ contributions throughout the nation’s 250 years of independence. Fifty mayors from across the U.S. recently gathered in Savannah, GA – a city with nearly three centuries of Jewish history – to kick off the month with a “L’Chaim!” forum hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement. Read the full story.
Spotlight: Francis Salvador – Patriot, Pioneer, and Hero
One of the most remarkable figures of the Revolutionary era was Francis Salvador, whose story exemplifies Jewish Americans’ deep roots in the founding of this nation:
Click here to learn more about Francis Salvador and other remarkable Jewish Americans during this period of history.
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This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with MERCAZ USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. MERCAZ USA recognizes and respects the diversity of views on these issues among its readers and the community at large.