TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A recent report by Tel Aviv University's Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry reveals a significant increase in antisemitic attacks since the onset of the Gaza war. However, while a peak in antisemitic violence was noted immediately following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel, there was a slight decline in the number of such incidents in 2024, compared to the previous year.
Uriya Shavit, the chief editor of the report, emphasizes that the data challenges the notion that antisemitism has continually escalated in response to the war in Gaza and the accompanying humanitarian crisis. He pointed out a pronounced surge in antisemitic attacks from October to December 2023, but noted that in 2024, incidents decreased across nearly all countries globally. Despite this decline, Shavit confirmed that the figures for 2024 remained significantly higher than those recorded in 2022, prior to the outbreak of hostilities.
Particularly alarming trends were observed in Australia and Italy, where the number of antisemitic incidents rose sharply in 2024. Australia documented 1,713 antisemitic acts, an increase from 1,200 in 2023. This rise included a notable arson attack at a synagogue in Melbourne in December, along with various incidents of vandalism at other Jewish sites, including a synagogue in Hobart, Tasmania. Italy also saw a dramatic increase, recording 877 incidents in 2024 compared to 454 in 2023 and just 241 in 2022.
In addition to these countries, the United States and Argentina also experienced slight increases in antisemitic attacks, though not to the extent seen in Australia and Italy. Throughout this period, the report highlights a concerning lack of accountability for perpetrators of antisemitic acts. A large number of incidents go unreported to law enforcement, and among those that are reported, very few lead to arrests. The report indicated that in prominent cities with significant Jewish populations—such as New York, Chicago, London, and Toronto—less than 10% of antisemitic crimes resulted in arrests between 2021 and 2023.
Carl Yonker, a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University who contributed to the report, asserts that without enforcement of laws and educational initiatives, efforts to combat antisemitism will remain ineffective. This report is published annually preceding Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, an observance that commemorates the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust, which begins on Wednesday evening.
The statistics for the report were collated from various sources, including local Jewish community reports and national and police records. In a related context, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recently released its own report on antisemitism in the United States, indicating that Israel-related incidents—ranging from demonstrative chants to speeches and signs at protests—comprise more than half of all reported antisemitic incidents in 2024. This finding has intensified the ongoing and divided debate among American Jews regarding the parameters of antisemitism, particularly in relation to criticism of Israeli policies and the concept of Zionism.
As concerns about antisemitism continue to escalate globally, the reports from both Tel Aviv University and the ADL underline the urgent need for collective action and effective legislative measures to address this pervasive issue.
