Israel’s prime minister on Sunday called for the “massive immigration” of European Jews to Israel following a deadly shooting near Copenhagen’s main synagogue, renewing a blunt message that has upset some of Israel’s friends in Europe.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that at a time of rising anti-Semitism in Europe, Israel is the only place where Jews can truly feel safe. His comments triggered an angry response from Copenhagen’s chief rabbi, Jair Melchior, who said he was “disappointed” by the remarks.
“People from Denmark move to Israel because they love Israel, because of Zionism. But not because of terrorism,” Melchior told The Associated Press. “If the way we deal with terror is to run somewhere else, we should all run to a deserted island.”
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The community had previously asked police for enhanced security, and following last month’s attack on the Paris kosher supermarket, Denmark police began reevaluating security arrangements, Melchior said.
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Associated Press writers Lori Hinnant in Paris, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen and Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
