Knife-wielding Palestinian supporter threatens Jews in Switzerland
A man armed with a knife attacked yeshivah students in Lucerne, Switzerland, spitting on them and shouting pro-Palestinian slogans.
The Jewish World Team
3 mins read
Published by
The Jewish World
The railway station square and reception building in Lucerne, Switzerland, Jan. 7, 2019. Photo courtesy of Petar Marjanovic via Wikimedia Commons.
A group of yeshivah students walking in the street in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Saturday night, July 19, were attacked by a man who spat on them and threatened them with a knife. It was 8:30 p.m. when the yeshivah students approached Lucerne’s train station. A man approached and asked, “Are you Jews?”
Before the group could answer, he spat at them.
Intervention
The students rushed toward the station’s plaza. But the man, described by witnesses as possibly Arab, pursued them. Then he pulled out a knife and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans.
Sensing the escalating danger, passersby intervened and the assailant fled. No one was injured.
Police who were called to the scene could not find the attacker.
“It was terrifying,” one student posted on social media. “We tried to walk away, but he wouldn’t stop. Those people saved us.”
Due to Shabbat restrictions, the students, among them Israelis, could not file a formal complaint until after the Sabbath, and with Swiss police stations closed on Sundays except for emergencies, they were told to return on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bias In Switzerland
According to JFeed website, it is possible that security cameras at the busy station recorded the incident, offering police a lead to identify the assailant.
The attack comes amid a rise in anti-Semitism in Switzerland.
According to the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), anti-Semitic incidents surged 43% in 2024, with 221 cases in German-, Italian- and Romansh-speaking regions, up from 155 in 2023. Verbal abuse and anti-Semitic comments accounted for 65.5% of the incidents.
In Switzerland, 32% of Jews avoid wearing visible Jewish symbols, up from 19.5% in 2020, with 28% considering emigration due to safety fears.
The SIG noted that physical attacks, though rare, are rising, with the Gaza war fueling tensions.
Earlier this month, Geneva-based CICAD, the Intercommunity Coordination Against Anti-Semitism and Defamation, expressed concern at the growing number of serious anti-Semitic acts and remarks that occurred in French-speaking Switzerland so far in 2025.
“These events, diverse in nature but convergent in their seriousness, bear witness to a worrying liberation of anti-Semitic speech in the public, cultural, educational and digital spheres,” said Johanne Gurfinkiel, secretary-general of CICAD.
"These incidents show that antisemitism is no longer confined to the marginal or virtual sphere. It is expressed in the street, in schools, in cultural institutions and even on sports fields—without a sufficiently firm response from the authorities," CICAD warned.
Originally published by the European Jewish Press.
ADVERTISEMENT
Knife-wielding Palestinian supporter threatens Jews in Switzerland
A man armed with a knife attacked yeshivah students in Lucerne, Switzerland, spitting on them and shouting pro-Palestinian slogans.
The Jewish World Team
3 mins read
Published by
The Jewish World
The railway station square and reception building in Lucerne, Switzerland, Jan. 7, 2019. Photo courtesy of Petar Marjanovic via Wikimedia Commons.
A group of yeshivah students walking in the street in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Saturday night, July 19, were attacked by a man who spat on them and threatened them with a knife. It was 8:30 p.m. when the yeshivah students approached Lucerne’s train station. A man approached and asked, “Are you Jews?”
Before the group could answer, he spat at them.
Intervention
The students rushed toward the station’s plaza. But the man, described by witnesses as possibly Arab, pursued them. Then he pulled out a knife and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans.
Sensing the escalating danger, passersby intervened and the assailant fled. No one was injured.
Police who were called to the scene could not find the attacker.
“It was terrifying,” one student posted on social media. “We tried to walk away, but he wouldn’t stop. Those people saved us.”
Due to Shabbat restrictions, the students, among them Israelis, could not file a formal complaint until after the Sabbath, and with Swiss police stations closed on Sundays except for emergencies, they were told to return on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bias In Switzerland
According to JFeed website, it is possible that security cameras at the busy station recorded the incident, offering police a lead to identify the assailant.
The attack comes amid a rise in anti-Semitism in Switzerland.
According to the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), anti-Semitic incidents surged 43% in 2024, with 221 cases in German-, Italian- and Romansh-speaking regions, up from 155 in 2023. Verbal abuse and anti-Semitic comments accounted for 65.5% of the incidents.
In Switzerland, 32% of Jews avoid wearing visible Jewish symbols, up from 19.5% in 2020, with 28% considering emigration due to safety fears.
The SIG noted that physical attacks, though rare, are rising, with the Gaza war fueling tensions.
Earlier this month, Geneva-based CICAD, the Intercommunity Coordination Against Anti-Semitism and Defamation, expressed concern at the growing number of serious anti-Semitic acts and remarks that occurred in French-speaking Switzerland so far in 2025.
“These events, diverse in nature but convergent in their seriousness, bear witness to a worrying liberation of anti-Semitic speech in the public, cultural, educational and digital spheres,” said Johanne Gurfinkiel, secretary-general of CICAD.
"These incidents show that antisemitism is no longer confined to the marginal or virtual sphere. It is expressed in the street, in schools, in cultural institutions and even on sports fields—without a sufficiently firm response from the authorities," CICAD warned.
Originally published by the European Jewish Press.
ADVERTISEMENT
Knife-wielding Palestinian supporter threatens Jews in Switzerland
A man armed with a knife attacked yeshivah students in Lucerne, Switzerland, spitting on them and shouting pro-Palestinian slogans.
The Jewish World Team
3 mins read
Published by
The Jewish World
The railway station square and reception building in Lucerne, Switzerland, Jan. 7, 2019. Photo courtesy of Petar Marjanovic via Wikimedia Commons.
A group of yeshivah students walking in the street in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Saturday night, July 19, were attacked by a man who spat on them and threatened them with a knife. It was 8:30 p.m. when the yeshivah students approached Lucerne’s train station. A man approached and asked, “Are you Jews?”
Before the group could answer, he spat at them.
Intervention
The students rushed toward the station’s plaza. But the man, described by witnesses as possibly Arab, pursued them. Then he pulled out a knife and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans.
Sensing the escalating danger, passersby intervened and the assailant fled. No one was injured.
Police who were called to the scene could not find the attacker.
“It was terrifying,” one student posted on social media. “We tried to walk away, but he wouldn’t stop. Those people saved us.”
Due to Shabbat restrictions, the students, among them Israelis, could not file a formal complaint until after the Sabbath, and with Swiss police stations closed on Sundays except for emergencies, they were told to return on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bias In Switzerland
According to JFeed website, it is possible that security cameras at the busy station recorded the incident, offering police a lead to identify the assailant.
The attack comes amid a rise in anti-Semitism in Switzerland.
According to the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), anti-Semitic incidents surged 43% in 2024, with 221 cases in German-, Italian- and Romansh-speaking regions, up from 155 in 2023. Verbal abuse and anti-Semitic comments accounted for 65.5% of the incidents.
In Switzerland, 32% of Jews avoid wearing visible Jewish symbols, up from 19.5% in 2020, with 28% considering emigration due to safety fears.
The SIG noted that physical attacks, though rare, are rising, with the Gaza war fueling tensions.
Earlier this month, Geneva-based CICAD, the Intercommunity Coordination Against Anti-Semitism and Defamation, expressed concern at the growing number of serious anti-Semitic acts and remarks that occurred in French-speaking Switzerland so far in 2025.
“These events, diverse in nature but convergent in their seriousness, bear witness to a worrying liberation of anti-Semitic speech in the public, cultural, educational and digital spheres,” said Johanne Gurfinkiel, secretary-general of CICAD.
"These incidents show that antisemitism is no longer confined to the marginal or virtual sphere. It is expressed in the street, in schools, in cultural institutions and even on sports fields—without a sufficiently firm response from the authorities," CICAD warned.
Originally published by the European Jewish Press.
ADVERTISEMENT
Knife-wielding Palestinian supporter threatens Jews in Switzerland
A man armed with a knife attacked yeshivah students in Lucerne, Switzerland, spitting on them and shouting pro-Palestinian slogans.
The Jewish World Team
3 mins read
Published by
The Jewish World
The railway station square and reception building in Lucerne, Switzerland, Jan. 7, 2019. Photo courtesy of Petar Marjanovic via Wikimedia Commons.
A group of yeshivah students walking in the street in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Saturday night, July 19, were attacked by a man who spat on them and threatened them with a knife. It was 8:30 p.m. when the yeshivah students approached Lucerne’s train station. A man approached and asked, “Are you Jews?”
Before the group could answer, he spat at them.
Intervention
The students rushed toward the station’s plaza. But the man, described by witnesses as possibly Arab, pursued them. Then he pulled out a knife and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans.
Sensing the escalating danger, passersby intervened and the assailant fled. No one was injured.
Police who were called to the scene could not find the attacker.
“It was terrifying,” one student posted on social media. “We tried to walk away, but he wouldn’t stop. Those people saved us.”
Due to Shabbat restrictions, the students, among them Israelis, could not file a formal complaint until after the Sabbath, and with Swiss police stations closed on Sundays except for emergencies, they were told to return on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bias In Switzerland
According to JFeed website, it is possible that security cameras at the busy station recorded the incident, offering police a lead to identify the assailant.
The attack comes amid a rise in anti-Semitism in Switzerland.
According to the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), anti-Semitic incidents surged 43% in 2024, with 221 cases in German-, Italian- and Romansh-speaking regions, up from 155 in 2023. Verbal abuse and anti-Semitic comments accounted for 65.5% of the incidents.
In Switzerland, 32% of Jews avoid wearing visible Jewish symbols, up from 19.5% in 2020, with 28% considering emigration due to safety fears.
The SIG noted that physical attacks, though rare, are rising, with the Gaza war fueling tensions.
Earlier this month, Geneva-based CICAD, the Intercommunity Coordination Against Anti-Semitism and Defamation, expressed concern at the growing number of serious anti-Semitic acts and remarks that occurred in French-speaking Switzerland so far in 2025.
“These events, diverse in nature but convergent in their seriousness, bear witness to a worrying liberation of anti-Semitic speech in the public, cultural, educational and digital spheres,” said Johanne Gurfinkiel, secretary-general of CICAD.
"These incidents show that antisemitism is no longer confined to the marginal or virtual sphere. It is expressed in the street, in schools, in cultural institutions and even on sports fields—without a sufficiently firm response from the authorities," CICAD warned.
Originally published by the European Jewish Press.
ADVERTISEMENT
Related News
World
Israel & Middle East
What Yom Yerushalayim should mean to American Jews
Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, begins this year at sundown on Thursday, May 14, and continues through Friday, May 15.
Stephen M. Flatow
May 14, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
Under the stars on Mount Herzl, Israel marks 78 years of independence
Nobody was entirely sure the ceremony would take place. Organizers had quietly filmed a full dress rehearsal days earlier in case renewed fighting…
Tania Shalom Michaelian
April 23, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
Hochul claims empathy with Jews at CGOH seder
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said at a local Passover seder that she knows there is “enormous pain and suffering out there.” “Please know…
The Jewish World Team
April 9, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
What Yom Yerushalayim should mean to American Jews
Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, begins this year at sundown on Thursday, May 14, and continues through Friday, May 15.
Stephen M. Flatow
May 14, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
Under the stars on Mount Herzl, Israel marks 78 years of independence
Nobody was entirely sure the ceremony would take place. Organizers had quietly filmed a full dress rehearsal days earlier in case renewed fighting…
Tania Shalom Michaelian
April 23, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
Hochul claims empathy with Jews at CGOH seder
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said at a local Passover seder that she knows there is “enormous pain and suffering out there.” “Please know…
The Jewish World Team
April 9, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
Israel, diaspora urged to be wary ahead of Passover
Israel’s National Security Council warned on Tuesday, March 24, that the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies are intensifying efforts to attack…
The Jewish World Team
March 26, 2026
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios