I recently walked through two beautiful European cities with deep Jewish history. The synagogues still stand. The stories are remembered. But the Jewish communities themselves have largely disappeared. Hardly any Jews remain.

In one of those cities, a local Jew was upset to see me wearing my kippah in public. “Why stand out?” he asked. He wasn’t afraid for me — he was afraid for himself and the consequences he would face. Christians walk freely with their symbols. Muslims do the same. For Jews, hiding identity is treated as normal. That should never be accepted as normal.

A Jewish restaurant in Montreal was just burned down. The arsonist was caught on camera. Authorities are investigating it as a hate crime. Across North America, Europe, and Australia, antisemitic attacks keep rising. Jewish schools need heavy security. Synagogues look like fortresses. Many Jews now hide Jewish symbols in public. Just a few years ago this was unnecessary. Today the warning signs are unmistakable. Jewish history is repeating itself.