Anti-Christian hate crimes in Jerusalem on the rise after October 7

An Israeli interfaith institute and local church leaders say anti-Christian hate crimes are increasing despite government and police assertions that they are tackling the problem.

The Daniel Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, which promotes interfaith relations, is now compiling a database of hate crimes, saying many clergy and other church personnel are reluctant to report directly to the police for fears this will be held against them or be pointless.

The center is about to launch a program assigning volunteers to churches to learn from them directly about any hate crimes, program director Hana Bendcowsky told the Jewish Independent. The center will then be able to file complaints on behalf of the churches.

“Our first mission is to keep track so we can analyse and recommend solutions,” she said. In the coming weeks, the center plans to issue its first of what will become regular reports on anti-Christian hate crimes, analogous to the publication of summaries of antisemitic incidents by the Anti-Defamation League in the United States and ECAJ in Australia.

Bendcowsky contends that if more of the Israeli public is aware of the problem, hate acts would be delegitimised. Bendcowsky and clergy interviewed for this article say that anti-Christian incidents rose noticeably in terms of number and severity last year, ranging from vandalism to abuse and spitting.

Local Christians are still impacted by a Jewish tourist’s smashing by hammer of a statue of Jesus in the Church of the Flagellation on the Via Dolorosa in February 2023. The statue was recently put back in place, but left unrepaired as a reminder of the pain of the community.