Speaking Hebrew has become a liability for Israelis traveling abroad. A group of Jew haters overheard Israeli tourists in Cyprus speaking their native tongue, prompting the only natural reaction, of course: harassment. But these Israelis were not taking the bullying lying down.

One of the tourists knocked out one of the aggressors in a single, Krav Maga-type of move. The guy was unconscious before he hit the ground. Nevertheless, if you’re an Israeli, the security authorities recommend not speaking Hebrew when traveling outside the country. Relying on your IDF training is risky when traveling in hostile territory.

Incidents of harassment and sometimes violent attacks on Israelis have been recorded in various countries since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. For example, a group of Israelis at a ski resort in Bansko, Bulgaria, was subjected to a violent antisemitic assault when a bystander heard one of them singing to himself a song in Hebrew with the words “Tel Aviv.”

When the bystander heard “Tel Aviv,” he administered a shoulder strike to the singer, shouting, “F*** Tel-Aviv!” A father tried to separate the two, but instead was knocked down, and the attacker kicked him in the face with a ski boot. He was hospitalized with fractures to the skull and sinuses.

In another incident, a man filmed himself calling a group of Israelis vacationing in Montenegro “baby killers” and accused them of genocide. While filming, a couple of women in burqas walking by also shouted “baby killers” and “shame on you.” Then the man, offended that his nasty comments were not well received, called them “a—holes,” leading to an intense verbal confrontation.

 Israeli tourists were attacked in Thailand after being overheard speaking Hebrew by French tourists in February. In June of last year, an Israeli tourist was violently attacked by a mob after he was heard speaking his native language. A family of Israeli tourists who were heard speaking Hebrew in Thessaloniki in July 2025 were attacked, with assailants following them to their car after they were told by staff to leave a restaurant.

The situation has worsened to the point that the Israeli National Security Council has been warning Israeli tourists not to speak Hebrew when traveling abroad. They have also advised removing all external signs of Jewishness, such as Stars of David, before going out in public, to keep mum about their military service, and to stay away from unsecured, unmonitored sites.