Members of the far-right German NPD (Getty) The alarming news concerning anti-Semitism in Europe continues to dominate the news cycles of major publications. Earlier this month, a 40-year-old Palestinian man was sentenced four months in jail following his assault of a Jewish man in February, and Holocaust survivor and activist Elie Weisel’s childhood home was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti. Organizations dedicated to tracking trends in anti-Semitism over time have warned of increased anti-Semitic activity in both Europe and the United States. The recent report by the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry pointed to the rise of far-right parties, “along with anti-Semitism spread by the Islamists, the radical Muslims, and anti-Semitism mired in acute anti-Zionism and anti-Israel expressions,” as causes of concern. In Switzerland, a Palestinian man assaulted a fellow Jewish passenger aboard a train, who was easily identifiable as Jewish due to his kippah. While both spectators and commentators, such as the head of CICAD (Coordination Intercommunautaire Contre L’Antisemitisme et la Diffamation) asserted that the victim had been “singled out…for attack because he was visibly Jewish,” the attackers conviction does not reference hate crime as being a motivating factor in the assault. This conviction continues a pattern of hate crimes being committed against Jews in Europe leading to miniscule or paltry punishments. Similar sentences have been handed down recently in cases involving anti-Semitic attacks in both France and Amsterdam. The case in Switzerland is particularly striking, as the Swiss penal system is notoriously lenient when prosecuting assault cases that do not contain hate bias. The rate of Swiss citizens who received custodial sentences following convictions of assault sat around nine percent in 2012. The rate of violent hate crimes motivated by anti-Semitism in Sweden has remained relatively stable, with only 3 violent crimes against Jewish individuals reported in 2016. This information, however, may stem from the weak hate crime laws that exist in Switzerland. Hate crime law in Switzerland stems from article 261 bis of the Swiss penal code. The interpretation of this section of the penal code in Swiss judicial proceedings has been so controversial as to illicit criticism from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The committee expressed concern at the “restrictive interpretation of [the article] by judicial authorities.” Poor interpretation of this statute by Swiss authorities may explain the failure to prosecute this particular case as a hate crime. The attacks on Jewish individuals are bolstered by repeated vandalism, graffiti, and harassment of Jewish communities within Europe. The recent targeting of Elie Weisel’s childhood home is simply the latest outrage. The home of Elie Weisel, a holocaust survivor and civil rights champion, located in Sighet, Romania, was converted into a Holocaust education center in 2014. It was vandalized on Sunday, August 5th with graffiti calling him a “Jewish Nazi,” and a “pedophile” who is “in hell with Hitler.” The police and local authorities quickly removed the graffiti, and last week arrested a suspect. The proliferation of far-right political parties has, without a doubt, bolstered anti-Semitism within European nations, but, as the Kantor Center notes, it is not the only cause. Recently, a deluge of anti-Semitic incidents has come to light in the United Kingdom, all revolving around the left-wing Labour Party. This Labour Party anti-Semitism has caused waves in British academic, political, and social circles. The Labour Party most recently encountered criticism following its decision to adopt a diluted definition of anti-Semitism. The definition of anti-Semitism adopted by the Labour Party was based upon the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition that has been adopted by multiple countries, including Britain itself. The Labour definition, however, differed from the IHRA definition in the omission of four key points that the IHRA considers essential to defining anti-Semitism. The four points include accusing Jews of being more loyal to Israel than their own countries, claiming that Israel’s existence is a racist endeavor, applying a double standard on Israel, and comparing contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis. All the language that was removed pertains to the insidious connection between anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism. The majority of the anti-Semitism emanating from the Labour Party is inextricably related to anti-Israelism. The nations of Europe must begin the difficult process of tackling anti-Semitism by properly prosecuting anti-Semitic attacks, addressing anti-Jewish vandalism, and condemning both right-wing and left-wing political parties who harbor anti-Semitic sentiments among their ranks.