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

The annual report of Tel Aviv University in collaboration with the "Anti-Defamation League" in preparation for Holocaust Day, but according to Prof. Uriah Shavit, head of the Center for the Study of European Jewry at Tel Aviv University today: "With all the sadness involved, on the eve of this Holocaust Day it should be remembered that Jewish racism is not Better than any other racism. It must be condemned, confiscated and eradicated."

The annual report of the Center for the Study of European Jewry at Tel Aviv University on the state of anti-Semitism in the world, made in collaboration with the "Anti-Defamation League" and published for the 22nd year on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, states that ultra-Orthodox Jews are the main target of physical anti-Semitic attacks in the West, For example, hitting, spitting and throwing objects. The report is based on an analysis of dozens of reported physical attacks in New York, where in 2022 the largest number of such attacks in the US occurred, in London, where the largest number of such attacks occurred in Europe, and in other cities.

According to the report, the physical attacks take place in a limited number of neighborhoods, mostly on the street or in public transportation and not near synagogues, and most of them are not the result of prior and careful planning. Haredim are the main victims not only because they are easily identified as Jews, but also because they are seen as defenseless. Although from a legal point of view all the attacks are an anti-Semitic hate crime, in some cases it is not clear whether the motive is entrenched anti-Semitism or bullying looking for victims.

Prof. Uriah Shavit, head of the Center for the Study of European Jewry at Tel Aviv University: "It appears from the research that policing and outreach activities focused on a limited number of urban spaces in various countries in the West may lead to a significant decrease in the number of violent anti-Semitic attacks. The fight against anti-Semitism must include more clear, practical, measurable and transparent goals, and less declarations and cries of gewold".

Dr. Karl Yunker, a senior researcher at the center, who led the study on the nature of the anti-Semitic attacks, noted: "It was very disturbing to discover during the fieldwork in London that there are ultra-Orthodox who see anti-Semitism as the destiny of Jews in the diaspora, and some even blame the members of the community themselves for the situation." .

Jonathan Greenblatt, the global CEO of the Anti-Defamation League: "The data in the report published today are very worrying. It is disturbing to see the significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents and various trends in the US and other countries. In 2022, there were no specific events that could be linked to the rise of anti-Semitism, which indicates the depth of the hatred of Jews worldwide. We are proud of the collaboration with Tel Aviv University in publishing this important annual report, which will serve as a source of information for governments and organizations and help in the fight against anti-Semitic trends."

The annual report shows that in 2022 there was a significant increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the US and other countries, alongside a decrease in other countries. The Anti-Defamation League recorded 3,697 anti-Semitic incidents in the US compared to 2,717 in 2021, which was a record year in itself. The New York police registered 2022 hate crimes against Jews in 261 compared to 214 in 2021, the Los Angeles police - 86 compared to 79, and the Chicago police - 38 compared to 8.

According to the authors of the report, a disturbing trend of "normalizing the troll" was evident in the American public discourse. The number of incidents of spreading anti-Semitic propaganda by followers of white supremacy in the USA has almost tripled compared to 2021 to 852.

"With all the sadness involved, on the eve of this Holocaust Day, it should be remembered that Jewish racism is no better than any other racism. It must be condemned, confiscated and eradicated." Prof. Uria Shavit

The report's editors noted that a certain increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in 2022 compared to 2021 was also recorded in Belgium, Hungary, Italy and Australia, among others. In Belgium, 17 anti-Semitic attacks were recorded compared to three in 2021. This is the largest number recorded since 2016, when there were seven attacks in the country.

In several countries, a decrease relative to 2021 was recorded in the number of incidents, among which Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Canada and Argentina stand out. In Germany, 2,649 "political crimes on an anti-Semitic background" were recorded compared to 3,028 recorded in 2021, the recorded record number. However, the number of incidents in Germany in 2022 remains significantly higher than in 2020 and 2019. In France, 436 incidents were recorded compared to 589 in 2021, 339 in 2020 and 687 in 2019.

Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yunker stated that the record data for 2021 was mainly attributed to the social tensions created by the Corona epidemic and the reactions to the "Guardian of the Walls" operation in Gaza, and hence the data for 2022 indicate that the roots of the current wave of anti-Semitism are deeper, especially in the US. They point to three intertwining factors: increasing social and cultural tensions; The rise of the radical right and the radical left at the expense of the political center; and the proliferation of "resonance boxes" on social networks where conspiracy theories are spread as undisputed truth. "The reality in which big companies make big money from spreading big lies requires correction," said Prof. Shavit.

In a review of Russia, the report notes that in the past year, alarming anti-Semitic statements by those close to Putin's government have been documented, along with the continuous cynical use of the memory of the Holocaust on the part of the Russian regime. These raise the fear that Russian Jews will become scapegoats for the regime's military failure. "Fascists are never reliable allies for religious minorities and for the protection of human rights," the report noted.

The in-depth articles in the report deal, among other things, with the entry of two small anti-Semitic parties into the upper house of the Japanese parliament, and the harsh anti-Semitic propaganda that the Houthis in Yemen began to employ. "In 2022, it became clear again that anti-Semitism does not need the presence of Jews or direct rivalry with Israel to find supporters," the report notes. Other in-depth articles in the report deal with the failed coup attempt by an anti-Semitic group in Germany, the differences between anti-Semitism in the contemporary American radical right and white American anti-Semitism in the past, anti-Semitic currents in the Black Hebrew movement in the USA, and the legal battle for the freedom to spread anti-Semitic propaganda in the USA.

The head of the center, Prof. Uriah Shavit, noted: "Even in Israel, soul-searching is required. In recent months, Jewish members of the Knesset uttered chilling racist expressions, which would have resulted in the immediate end of their careers in any other Western democracy. With all the sadness involved, on the eve of this holocaust day it should be remembered that Jewish racism is no better than any other racism. It must be condemned, confiscated and eradicated."