A recent poll commissioned by the Rabbinic Centre of Europe, affiliated with the European Jewish Association, found two distressing, but entirely predictable, items among the responses:

First, seventy percent of Jews residing in Europe expressly avoid any physical clues (dress, etc.) that they are, indeed Jews, out of fear of mistreatment or physical harm.

Second, eight-five percent were not taking their children to synagogue for High Holiday services this year due to the same fears.

Three recent items in the news may serve to underline that these are not unfounded concerns:

For a number of years many Breslover Chasidim (parenthetically, in my experience, some of the warmest, most inclusive, people you would ever want to meet) from all over the world travel to the town of Uman, in Ukraine, to spend the High Holidays near the gravesite of their movement’s founder; eighteenth century chasiddic leader; Rabbi Nachman of Breslov . So many attend that a tent city is built to temporarily house many attendees.

This year, while the local police looked on, nationalist thugs entered the “city” on the Shabbos and tore down the huge “Welcome Tent”, lighting, fences, shelters, etc.; causing over a half-million dollars of damage, seeking to drive the Jews out. It seems there are local elections soon and the perception is that the candidate most identified with making things hard for Jews will win the election. In a similar attack in June, a Hatzolah ambulance was destroyed by Ukrainian Nationalists.

In Manchester, England, four Orthodox Jewish young men, aged 17-20, going to a movie, were savagely attacked; beaten and repeatedly kicked at a Metrolink station. The youngest boy was punched unconscious, and thereafter repeatedly kicked while down. He was hospitalized in critical condition with a fractured skull and bleeding of the brain.

The father of the youngest was quoted as follows: “Moshe and his friends are good boys. They would never go looking for trouble. They had been to the Printworks to see a film.” “They tried to run away from these lads and the altercation happened on the road below the station I believe. “I do not believe these lads were neo-Nazis looking for Jews to beat up. But the fact that the boys are Jewish fuelled the attack in my opinion. “There is an attitude amongst some people that Jewish blood is cheap, and maybe they deserve it.”

British Marxist & “friend” of HAMAS, Jeremy Corbyn has been elected as leader of the Labor Party. Despite his angry dissembling when asked pointedly about many of his positions, he remains true to course. Here is another one of Corbyn’s friends:

Thousands of early-twenties, male, largely economic, refugees from Syria are passing right past their brothers in Turkey, on to the glittering welfare states of Europe, while the decimated Christian and Yazidi communities are stuck back home with ISIS. Germany is said to soon become the new “Rape Capital of Europe” .

If I was a Jew residing in a European country I would be having serious discussions with the nearest Jewish Agency Aliyah offices. Right away.