The annual anti-Semitism report of Tel Aviv University was published in collaboration with the "Anti-Defamation League" ahead of Holocaust Day
An anti-Israel demonstration near the White House, November 4, 2023. Illustration: depositphotos.com
The annual report on the state of anti-Semitism in the world by Tel Aviv University and the Anti-Defamation League shows a jump of tens of percent in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Western countries in 2023 compared to 2022.
Most of the increase in the number of incidents occurred following the October 7 attack, but also in the first nine months of 2023, before the outbreak of the war, there was an increase in the number of incidents compared to the corresponding period in 2022 in most countries with large concentrations of Jews, including the United States, France, Great Britain, Australia , Italy, Brazil and Mexico.
From Brazil to South Africa: a sharp jump in the number of anti-Semitic incidents
According to the report, in 2023 the New York Police Department, the city with the largest number of Jews in the world, received 325 complaints of hate crimes against Jews compared to 261 in 2022, the Los Angeles Police Department - 165 compared to 86, and the Chicago Police Department 50 compared to 39.
The "Anti-Defamation League" recorded 2023 anti-Semitic incidents in the US in 7,523 compared to 3,697 in 2022 (and according to a new and broader definition of anti-Semitic incidents, 8,873 incidents). The number of recorded assaults increased from 111 to 161, and the number of vandalism cases increased from 1,288 to 2,106.
In other countries as well, a steep increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents was recorded, according to data from government bodies, law enforcement authorities, Jewish organizations, the media and field work analyzed by the report team. For example, in France the number of incidents increased from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023 (the number of physical assaults increased from 43 to 85); in Great Britain from 1,662 to 4,103 (the number of physical assaults increased from 136 to 266); in Argentina from 427 to 598; in Germany from 2,639 to 3,614, in Brazil from 432 to 1,774, in South Africa from 68 to 207, in Mexico from 21 to 78, in the Netherlands from 69 to 154, in Belgium from 34 to 70, in Italy from 241 to 454, and in Austria from 719 to 1,147. In Australia, 622 anti-Semitic incidents occurred in October and November 2023, a jump compared to the 79 incidents that occurred in the same period in 2022.
The relative increase in the number of incidents - even before October 7
Although most of the steep increase in 2023 compared to 2022 was recorded in the months of October-December, the report emphasizes that in most countries with large concentrations of Jews there was also a relative increase in the first nine months of 2023 compared to 2022. For example, in the United States according to the "Anti-Defamation League" data, According to the old and narrower definition, the number of incidents in October-December 2023 jumped to 3,976 compared to 1,000 in the corresponding period in 2022, but an increase was also recorded between January and September: 3,547 compared to 2,697 (the New York police registered a decrease in this period, while the Los Angeles police Les registered an increase).
In France, the number of incidents between January and September increased from 329 to 434; In Great Britain - from 1,270 to 1,404. In Australia, 371 incidents were recorded between January and September 2023 compared to 363 in the corresponding period in 2022. On the other hand, in Germany and Austria, where national programs to combat anti-Semitism are implemented, a relative decrease was recorded in the months of January-September.
Prof. Shavit: "The curtain may come down on Jewish life in the West"
From the cover of the report - The State of Anti-Semitism 2024. Photo: Tel Aviv University
Professor Uria Shavit
According to Prof. Oriya Shavit, head ofThe Center for the Study of European Jewry Todayat Tel Aviv University and head of the Ervion Kotler Institute, "This year is not 1938, nor 1933. But if the current trends continue, the curtain may come down on the possibility of maintaining a Jewish life in the public sphere in the West - wearing the Star of David, going to a synagogue or a community center , send children to a Jewish school, establish a student cell on campus, or speak Hebrew."
Prof. Shavit said that "in a reality where false alarms about the planting of bombs in synagogues become a common sight, the Jewish existence throughout the Western world is required to gather in fortresses, and as it becomes more fortified, the sense of security and normality is undermined. The fight against anti-Semitism requires police, legal and educational efforts that are focused on the centers of the poison, and the setting of definite and achievable goals. First and foremost, we need to stop the reality in which big media companies make big money from spreading big hate."
Prof. Shavit added: "Israel, as a country, has a limited ability to help Jewish communities. But even the little that can be done is not done. The state does not have a significant strategic plan based on the needs of Jewish communities. The government's main contribution is pompous statements and random initiatives. The responsibility for the struggle should go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose representatives are professionals who know the communities closely and are in the field. The Ministry of Diaspora and the fight against anti-Semitism is redundant. A small example of how unnecessary it is: a few months ago we reported in another report that the link in English on the website of the office for reporting antisemitic incidents leads to a blank page. The publication received resonance in the media, and what has happened since then? Nothing. No one bothered to fix it. The link still leads to an empty page, and apparently no one really cares. There is no limit to disdain and unprofessionalism."
According to Prof. Shavit, "one of the great challenges of the time is how to mobilize for the fight against anti-Semitism without making it a defining feature of Jewish identity nowadays."
Head of the "Anti-Defamation League" Greenblatt: "Tsunami of hate"
Jonathan Greenblatt, the global director of the Anti-Defamation League, said: "Following the terrible attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, a tsunami of hatred against Jewish communities all over the world took place. Unprecedented levels of anti-Semitism were seen on the streets of London, New York, Paris, Santiago, Johannesburg and other cities. This year's report is very worrying. The unprecedented levels of anti-Semitism he documents also include the United States, where the number of anti-Semitic incidents was the highest recorded by the Anti-Defamation League. We are proud to be partners of Tel Aviv University in the publication of this important annual report, which presents to governments and civil organizations the picture of the situation and will help in the fight against anti-Semitism."
In a special article for the report, Griblatt wrote: "Anti-Semitism is not an abstract issue. It is a real threat to Jewish life in America and around the world, and history teaches us that we cannot remain indifferent in such moments. We must be sober in relation to the threats posed to us and deal with them with determination."
The former Canadian Minister of Justice presents an 11-point emergency plan
Canada's former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Irwin Kotler, presented in a report a comprehensive historical and political analysis of the development of contemporary anti-Semitism, and a detailed eleven-point plan for dealing with the phenomenon worldwide.
Kotler said: "The flare-up of anti-Semitism endangers not only Jews. It is toxic to democracies. It is an attack on our common humanity and threatens the safety of all human beings - in other words, it is the canary in the coal mine of global evil. Jews will not be able to face you alone, let alone defeat. What is needed is unity of conscience - commitment and action of governments, commitment and action of companies in the ancient and deadly war on hatred.' He also warned that historically the rise of anti-Semitism is a warning sign, like a canary in the coal mine, and the hatred that is initially directed towards Jews does not stop there.
Extensive articles in the report examine the widespread manifestations of anti-Semitism in the Arab world, in Turkey and Iran following the October 7 attack, and discuss their roots. The report states that "any future political negotiations must prioritize the elimination of the scourge on Arab societies."
antisemitic attacks from the right and the left; "The fringes are biting the political center"
The report stated that blatant expressions of hatred were voiced in various countries even before Israel launched the ground operation in Gaza, including on the campuses of leading universities, and therefore the wave of hatred should not be seen as an emotional response to the war. "Some of the attackers are careful to say that their problem is with Israel, not with Jews, and then they attack Jews and Jewish institutions."
Dr. Carl Yunker, senior researcher and project manager at the "Center for the Study of European Jewry Today", who wrote an article for the report on anti-Semitism in the USA, noted that "contrary to popular belief, the anti-Semitic attacks after October 7 in the USA are also from the right the extreme Neo-Nazis, white supremacists and others glorified Hamas and used the war to spread anti-Semitic propaganda alongside a conspiracy theory that the crisis would promote the 'replacement' of the white majority in the West with immigrants from the Middle East. The fringes in the United States bite into the political center on both sides, which makes the fight against anti-Semitism much more complicated."
According to the report, it is not possible to obtain reliable data on the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Russia. An extensive review in the report discusses the anti-Semitic statements of the Russian dictator Putin and members of his regime in the past year. The report notes that "at the beginning of 2023, Moscow's chief rabbi in exile, Pinchas Goldschmidt, called on Russian Jews to leave the country before they become scapegoats. Unfortunately, the past year has not disproved the words of this wise and courageous spiritual leader."
The report, which has 150 pages, includes 10 in-depth reviews of different countries, as well as a study of the profiles of those who spread anti-Semitic propaganda on the social network x (formerly Twitter).
Tel Aviv University prepared the report "The Center for the Study of European Jewry TodayWith the support of the Adam and Gila Milstein Fund, andErwin Kotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights and Justice” with the support of Richard and Elaine Dubrovsky and Sarah Ward.
Click here to read the full report
More on the subject on the science website:
- The report on the state of anti-Semitism in the world for 2022: most of the victims of violent anti-Semitic attacks in the West - ultra-Orthodox Jews
- Has the fight against antisemitism failed?
- Anti-Semitism in the world in 2013 penetrates from the extreme fringes on the right and left to the center
- The place and time in which anti-Semitism was born and the connection to the Exodus * An interview with a researcher who published an article about it
- Violence in a closed circle
