Swiss Jews face growing security concerns, says monitoring group

Antisemitic incidents hit record high in French-speaking Switzerland Keystone-SDA

Hamas’s attack on Israel and the war in Gaza that followed have worsened the security situation for Jewish people and institutions in Switzerland, according to the Intercommunity Coordination Against Anti-Semitism and Defamation (known by its French name CICAD).

CICAD is now calling for stronger preventive measures and a more robust public response to antisemitism.

Three years on from the October 7 attacks, concern remains high among Switzerland’s Jewish community. “Violence against Jews has become commonplace,” Johanne Gurfinkiel, secretary general of CICAD, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.

In 2025, CICAD reported a record 2,438 anti-Semitic incidents in French-speaking Switzerland, with 91.8% occurring online. The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities and the Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism recorded a further 177 incidents in the rest of the country. Figures for 2026 have yet to be finalised.

Some Jewish people choose to conceal their identity for fear of being stigmatised. Jewish children are being targeted at school, while Jewish institutions remain under heightened security. “There is no excuse for anti-Semitism,” said Gurfinkiel, stressing that criticism of Israeli government policy must not turn into collective blame against Jews.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.