A young Jewish woman has shared her fears about openly expressing her Jewish identity in Spain as antisemitism continues to rise in the country.
Speaking to ILTV News, Erica Mahler, a student at the University of Barcelona, said, “There have been a lot of incidents with my friends where they have shown they are Jewish or Israeli, and they have been faced with aggression.”
She mentioned a recent incident in her neighborhood where a mezuzah was ripped off someone’s door.
“So, there is sort of a fear of showing openly that you're Israeli or Jewish, but at the same time, it's not stopping us from moving forward and trying to educate the people so that we can live openly within our society,” Mahler added.
Watch the full interview:
HOW IS IT BEING JEWISH IN SPAIN?
(ILTV)
Spain has experienced one of the largest spikes in antisemitism since the war. According to a recent report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 78% of Spanish Jews consider antisemitism to be a very big or fairly big problem in the country.
Additionally, Spain is one of three countries, alongside Ireland and Norway, to formally recognize a unified Palestinian state under the Palestinian Authority. This recognition comes despite Israel’s parliament ruling that it will not recognize or allow such a state at this time.