In a disturbing development, a 13-year-old boy in Ohio has been accused of planning a mass shooting at a local synagogue, according to court documents cited in local news reports. The boy, who remains unidentified due to his age, now faces charges of inducing panic and disorderly conduct, and is scheduled to go to trial on December 20th in Stark County Family Court.

The court documents revealed that law enforcement officials discovered a detailed plan for a mass shooting at Temple Israel on the popular group chat platform, Discord. The plan was allegedly created by the accused, and it prompted immediate action from law enforcement after being reported around September 1st in Plain Township. The Stark County Sheriff's Office subsequently launched an investigation into the matter.

The discovery of the boy's plan not only raised concerns for the safety of the synagogue but also necessitated notification of various public individuals and agencies, including the school system. This caused significant public alarm within those entities, as detailed in the court filing.

This incident comes at a time when incidents of antisemitism have been on the rise. The deadly attack launched by Hamas on Israel's southern border on October 7th, followed by the ongoing war, has fueled the trend. According to newly released data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), incidents targeted against Jews increased by a staggering 337 percent in the two months after the attack.

Between October 7th and December 7th, a total of 2,031 reported antisemitic incidents were recorded in the country - the highest number since the ADL began tracking such incidents in 1979. This figure represents more than four times the number of incidents reported during the same period in 2022, which saw a total of 465 antisemitic incidents.

Even before the Israel-Hamas war, Jewish leaders had been expressing concerns about the rise in antisemitism. The deadliest attack in US history against Jews occurred in October 2018 when a gunman opened fire during a Sabbath morning prayer service at a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people.

As the trial for the 13-year-old boy accused of planning a mass shooting at an Ohio synagogue approaches, it serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of antisemitism and the need for continued vigilance in combating hate and prejudice.