Boulder attack renews safety concerns for US Jewish communities

Community leaders say people are anxious after recent attacks in Boulder and Washington DC showed that “anyone, anywhere” could be targeted.

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The suspect, Mohammed Sabry Soliman, accused of throwing incendiary devices at them, allegedly planned the attack for a year, and told police he wanted to "kill all Zionist people," according to court documents.

It was the latest in a string of attacks against Jewish people and institutions, ratcheting up anxiety among those in North America's Jewish community who see these incidents as signs of growing antisemitism in the US.

The Boulder attack occurred just weeks after a suspect shot and killed a couple outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. They were later identified as employees of the Israeli embassy who had been attending an event at the museum. In April, the official residence of Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro was set on fire, just hours after the Jewish lawmaker celebrated the first night of Passover.

"Jews are feeling the impact and are more afraid than they were two weeks ago, or that fears that existed in some communities a few weeks ago are more heightened," said Adina Vogel Ayalon of J Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group that's critical of the war and has called for a ceasefire in Gaza.