Yesterday in Denmark, one person was killed at an event celebrating free speech and three police officers were wounded. Danish police believe the target was Lars Vilks, an artist who has received death threats for drawing images of the prophet Muhammad. Just hours later, a Jewish man, Dan Uzan, was killed and two police officers were wounded in an attack in front of Copenhagen’s Krystalgade synagogue. Uzan was part of a security patrol guarding the synagogue while a bat mitzvah took place inside.

The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago condemns the brutal, hate-filled terror attacks in Copenhagen and extends our deepest sympathy to the victims’ families. We mourn those murdered, pray for the recovery of the wounded and stand in solidarity with the Danish Jewish community. We welcome the outpouring of public support being expressed and demonstrated outside the synagogue by non-Jewish Danes.

We also denounce the accelerating rise in global anti-Semitic activity and especially its violent manifestations in Europe. It is long past time for global leaders – political, diplomatic, law enforcement and religious – to take strong, unequivocal action against the sources and inspirations of this deadly anti-Semitism.

As in the attacks in Paris, this latest act of terrorism clearly and deliberately targeted symbols – and people – embodying free speech and the Jewish community.

Press reports indicate the Copenhagen terrorist was known to Danish intelligence. According to Jens Madsen, the head of the country’s security services, he may have been “inspired by militant Islamist propaganda issued by IS [Islamic State] and other terror organizations.”

These terrorists may represent a small minority of the world’s Muslims and may be distorting Islam’s teachings, but they are being incited to violence by clerics and websites calling themselves “Muslim” and are invoking that faith in their rampages. Our ignoring these realities slows the day when we all can enjoy greater inter-group harmony and security.

A delegation of 8 JUF leaders visited Paris last week as part of a national solidarity and fact-finding mission. One of the key issues identified was security outside Jewish facilities, and the readiness of host countries to provide it on an increased, sustained level. In France, the Jewish community, with nervous anxiety, awaits the pullout of military and police protection. We also note that Copenhagen’s Jewish leaders, in the immediate aftermath of the Paris attacks, made an official request to Danish Justice Minister Mette Frederiksen for a greater police presence at their synagogues.

We extend our gratitude to those law enforcement officials who put their own lives on the line to defend Jewish communities in Europe and here in Chicago.

Here is what JUF has done/is doing in response to this weekend’s attacks:

• The JUF-funded Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) dispatched $75,000 to help secure Jewish facilities in Denmark.
  
• The Secure Community Network (SCN), the national security project of the Jewish Federations of North America, has issued alerts that JUF in turn is sharing with Jewish schools, communal agencies, synagogues and Jewish Community Relations Council group leaders. Our community must continue providing facilities and services that are at once secure and welcoming.
  
• JUF remains in regular contact with federal, county and local law enforcement.
  
• JCRC sent a note of condolence and solidarity to Danish Jewry, and has been in contact with the local Danish Consul General and with Israel’s Ambassador to Denmark, our friend, former Consul General in Chicago, Barukh Binah.

Our hearts go out to the family of Dan Uzan, the Danish Jewish community, and to all Danes at this terrible, difficult time