A noticeable increase in expressions of anti-Semitism in general and violence against Jews in particular

This is according to the annual report published by the Kantor Center, Tel Aviv University on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day and Heroism

In 2012, there was a significant increase in the level of violent anti-Semitic incidents, which include vandalism and direct threats to Jewish lives. The number of all these events increased by 30 percent compared to 2011, from 526 events to 686 events. They are divided into 273 (!) attacks on Jews, many of them children and teenagers; 190 synagogues, cemeteries and monuments were vandalized and damaged; And in over 200 cases, private and public property was vandalized and damaged. In 50 cases a weapon was used, in 98 without it, there were 166 direct threats to human life and 373 cases of vandalism. Most of the incidents (510) took place in countries where large Jewish communities live, such as France (200 incidents), USA (99), Great Britain (84), Canada (74) and Australia (53).
Three factors influenced the increase in the total number of these events.

1. A wave of violent events against Jewish targets, mainly in France following the terrorist attack in March 2012 on the "Treasure of the Torah" Jewish school in Toulouse, which was one of the worst the community has known in the last decade.

2. Escalation in the activity of the extreme-militant right, and the strengthening of parties with clear anti-Semitic positions against the background of the economic crisis. Their loud representatives in the parliaments, especially in Greece and Hungary, as well as in Ukraine, openly incite against the Jewish communities. In Hungary, at the same time as the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel expressions worsened, the violence and vandalism against Jews and Jewish targets increased. In Poland, there has been a significant increase in the desecration of cemeteries and memorial sites for the victims of the Holocaust.

3. Operation "Pillar of Cloud" in November caused an increase in anti-Semitic activity in various parts of the world, but it was moderate and lasted a relatively short period of time, probably because the operation lasted only a few days and the number of casualties on the Palestinian side was low. The fact that the anti-Semitic reactions to the "Pillar of Cloud" operation were significantly reduced in scope from the wave of events provoked by the terrorist act in Toulouse, proves that local and international events and the Middle East as a whole, are often a catalyst but not fundamental causes, and that the tendency to harm Jews on an anti-Semitic background is rooted among Islamists, people of the right The extremist and their fans..

In 2012, the increase in the number of bullying and street violence against Jews continued, mainly in Western Europe, but also in North America and Australia. Many of these incidents were aimed at religious Jews who are easy to identify as well as against children and teenagers in Jewish schools and general schools. Following the recommendations of security officials, rabbis and public leaders in several countries instructed the members of their communities to remove the kippa when they are in the public domain. In several places, as a protest, and as a sign of identification with the Jews, "Kippa marches" were held, in which the marchers wore a kippah and carried other Jewish characteristics

Public opinion polls conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in ten European countries show that an average of 30 percent of the general public hold classic anti-Semitic prejudices and views. -47 to 2009% in 63. These findings are consistent with previous surveys conducted in recent years.

The Internet and especially social networks are the main medium through which anti-Semitic propaganda and incitement is spread. Operation "Pillar of Clouds" and Israel's opposition to the UN General Assembly's recognition of Palestine as an observer state, led to the delegitimization and demonization of the State of Israel in addition to the legitimate debates. The spread of classic anti-Semitic motifs continued, such as the existence of a global Jewish force working unconditionally in the service of Israel, and employing Jews who show greater loyalty to world Jewry and Israel than to their countries; And the supposed control of Jews in the global economy, including their responsibility for the current global economic crisis and its exploitation.

And to conclude: an atmosphere of violence, in expression and deed, has become part of the culture and conduct in several countries in the West, and it leads to an increase in the number of hate crimes against immigrants, foreign workers and minority groups, and Jews in general. The verbal expressions, such as insults, threats, offensive and unruly behavior, and the expressions of physical violence, feed each other, and constitute an increasing burden on the feelings of Jews, as individuals and as communities.