As you may already know, there has been a wave of antisemitism around the world following the massacre in Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and throughout the Israel-Hamas war in the time since.
We had reported on some trends at the start of the war and provided hate crime statistics for 2023, but the rise in antisemitism has not abated since then.
Overall, according to data gathered by the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitism has demonstrably surged worldwide after October 7, 2023, and throughout 2024.
Here are some alarming but important trends and statistics to know:
1. The number of antisemitic incidents skyrocketed worldwide following the start of the war, including vandalism, harassment, and assault against Jews and Jewish institutions.
The largest surge in incidents occurred between October 7 and December 31, 2023.
This has included the largest numbers of incidents of anti-Jewish hate on record in countries such as the United Kingdom and United States.
2. Educational institutions have in many places become hotbeds for anti-Israel activism and antisemitic hate.
Many US colleges and universities saw the emergence of antisemitic protests and encampments, as well as bullying of Jewish students and staff. Less than half of Jewish college students in the US reported feeling safe on their campuses during the fall semester of the 2023-2024 school year.
Meanwhile, a number of private Jewish elementary and high schools around the world have become targets of attacks and vandalism, while Jewish students in public schools have felt targeted. 50% of surveyed Jewish parents in New Zealand, for instance, stated that their children were subjected to antisemitism in schools.
3. The worldwide rise in antisemitism has included a staggering surge in threats and hate online against Jewish individuals, organizations, and businesses.
In addition, antisemitism online and on social media has taken a violent turn in the past 15 months, including expressions of explicit support for anti-Jewish and anti-Israel terrorism and terrorist organizations.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found a 434% increase in violent antisemitic posts online on the day of the October 7th attack itself.
Researchers at the ADL have analyzed and found the following characteristics of anti-Jewish hate that have emerged or drastically increased since October 7, 2023:
- Increasingly explicit support for terror
- Systematic denial, distortion, and minimization of the October 7th attacks and of Jewish suffering
- Targeting government officials and other public persons who voice support for Israel
- Targeting synagogues, Jewish businesses, and other Jewish spaces with protests and vandalism
- Escalation of BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) demands against Israel as well as any individual or institution labeled "Zionist"
- Calls to target and ban Jewish university campus institutions such as Hillel and Chabad
- Enforcing an anti-Zionist litmus test for diaspora Jews
- Increased use of the term “Zionist” as a slur
- Exploiting anti-Zionist sentiment to promote antisemitism
- Use of generative AI to promote antisemitism and create anti-Israel and anti-Jewish propaganda
It's time to stand against anti-Jewish hate!
