AI and the Jewish Question

 For the last few years, I have been using AI more and more often. It's efficient and used properly can easily help get better, faster results in many areas of work. No, this isn't about whether AI is going to replace or whatever but something else entirely.

Before going to Copenhagen, I faced a dilemma. Was it safe, as a woman, to be arriving at night. Take a train and walk till I found my rental place. I asked AI and was assured that Copenhagen is one of the safest places in Europe with low crime rate, etc. The bottom line AI said (citing A Backpacker's World) was "Copenhagen is safe day and night, regardless of what time of day it is... the sense of safety you get in Copenhagen allows you to relax and forget any safety concerns you may have."

I was about to give up the idea of taking a taxi when a thought came to mind. So I asked AI if Copenhagen was safe for a Jew to walk at night. The answer was startling and quite depressing. "Copenhagen remains generally very safe as a city, but there are specific risks for visibly Jewish/Israeli people, especially in certain neighborhoods," AI told me and then instructed me that I should not speak Hebrew, not wear "visible Jewish symbols - Stars of David, Israeli jewelry". I should avoid certain neighborhoods and avoid showing any Israeli identification. I should maintain a low profile and stay in well-lit areas. I took a cab.

I have another trip in the coming months. Once before, I had to go to Copenhagen and I took my two youngest and we had a great time...so I'm thinking and this time, right away, my first question was whether we would be safe.

I then began more for the sake of knowledge than travel, to see what AI had to say about several European cities. Asking was like scraping a wound again and again. The pain is a reminder of why I live here in this beautiful land, far from Europe, Canada, and even the US.

Tell me, AI...I'll give you nine cities...tell me where it is safe to travel: Paris, London, Amsterdam, Zurich, Rome, Vienna, Sydney, Hong Kong, Cairo:

AI's response:

• Hong Kong is the safest on my list. There is virtually no antisemitism there. Jews can freely practice their religion and feel comfortable as "visible Jews" without safety concerns.
  
  
• Zurich, well, not as good, certainly. "Antisemitism has surged to unprecedented levels with 221 real-world incidents in 2024, including 11 physical attacks and an attempted murder in Zurich." And then the painful part began in what AI calls one of the safer cities on my list. "Many Jews now hide religious symbols like Stars of David and kippas out of fear". Alas, AI concludes, Zurich is "much less safe than it was historically.

From here, we go down to what AI calls the "moderate concern cities". These include Vienna, London, and Paris.

• Of these, Vienna is the best because Austria has a "strong national antisemitism strategy." So, while there are elevated concerns, it is generally safer than other Western European capitals.
• Next came London and Paris. 

London

• UK saw 3,528 incidents in 2024, still double the 2022 figure of 1,662 (Ynetnews)
• Large, established Jewish community with security measures
• Concerns elevated but community functioning

Paris (France)

• France saw 1,570 incidents in 2024, with antisemitic physical assaults rising from 85 to 106 Ynetnews
• Jewish community member in French Parliament stated many Jews are questioning when to leave, not if Israel Hayom
• Five Jewish sites including synagogues and Holocaust memorial defaced in June 2025 Combat Antisemitism Movement
• Europe's largest Jewish community but facing significant challenges

It is at this point, that I can no longer handle the details. The bottom line, AI...please, just give me the bottom line. And AI does...

"Hong Kong is by far the safest. Vienna and London are functioning but require vigilance. Paris and Amsterdam have serious concerns. Sydney is currently extremely dangerous following the recent terror attack, and Cairo is not recommended for Jewish travelers."

I used to ask the weather before I would travel...I didn't know then how lucky I was.