Yaakov Hagoel
Yaakov HagoelFlash 90

World Zionist Organization Deputy Chairman Ya'akov Hagoel related to escalating attacks on Jews, saying: "Two serious hate crimes occurred in the past day; the first near Toronto, Canada. While walking in the park, a man of African-American descent and his partner came across a Jewish couple; the African-American man's wife accused the Jewish man of sending her 'racist messages' and in response, her partner hit him in the face and body and shouted 'Black lives matter'.

"The second incident took place in Burnley, England where three men beat a 29-year-old who lost the ability to see in one eye. The boy's mother tried to separate them but unsuccessfully. The attackers called the boy a 'filthy Jew' and left him with serious facial and eye injuries."

In response to the attacks, Hagoel responded: "Responsibility for preserving and protecting Jews' lives in the state devolves solely upon the government; Jewish blood is not expendable. Unless governments mobilize to deal with the spread of this infection, the coronavirus will be the least of Diaspora Jews' troubles.

"I urge the local police to mobilize and catch the perpetrators and punish them with the full weight of the law."