Israeli rabbis spat on in Lithuanian capital

A group of Israeli rabbis was spat on in an antisemitic attack in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 6. The assailant posted the assault online, encouraging others to target Jews, and was later detained by local authorities before being released ahead of trial. The rabbis, who had been visiting Jewish heritage sites, quickly left the country. Faina Kukliansky, chair of the Lithuanian Jewish Community, stated, "I do not want to be chair of a Jewish organization in a country where Jews are attacked and have to fight antisemitism openly," urging authorities to impose a stiff sentence. Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, U.S. special envoy, tweeted, "The recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents in Vilnius is unacceptable." Shimon Cohen of the Conference of European Rabbis noted that given Lithuania's history of Holocaust complicity, antisemitism is not surprising.