TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Antisemitic attacks have significantly risen since the onset of the war in Gaza, although a recent annual report from Tel Aviv University indicates that the numbers fell slightly in the year following the initial surge that occurred after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. According to Uriya Shavit, the chief editor of the report, the findings challenge the notion that antisemitism has continuously intensified due to the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The report outlines a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents from October to December 2023, with a notable decline observed in 2024 across nearly all countries globally. Shavit remarked, "The sad truth is that antisemitism reared its head at the moment when the Jewish state appeared weaker than ever and under existential threat." Despite the decrease in incidents from the peak period, the attack frequency in 2024 remained alarmingly high compared to 2022, prior to the war.
However, there were marked exceptions in Australia and Italy, where antisemitic incidents surged in 2024. Australia alone reported 1,713 incidents, a significant rise from 1,200 in 2023. This surge included an arson attack that inflicted severe damage on a synagogue in Melbourne in December, alongside various vandalism cases at other Jewish sites, such as a synagogue in Hobart, Tasmania. In Italy, incidents escalated to 877 in 2024, up from 454 in 2023 and 241 in 2022.
In contrast, the increase of antisemitic incidents in the United States and Argentina was moderate. The report also highlighted a concerning trend regarding the lack of accountability for those responsible for antisemitic attacks, noting that many incidents go unreported to law enforcement. Between 2021 and 2023, major urban centers with significant Jewish populations—such as New York, Chicago, London, and Toronto—witnessed less than 10% of antisemitic crimes leading to arrests, according to the report's findings.
Carl Yonker, a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University and contributor to the report, emphasized the critical need for enforcement of legislation and educational initiatives, stating, "Education and legislation without enforcement are meaningless." Each year, the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University, in cooperation with the Irwin Cotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights, and Justice, publishes findings on antisemitism to coincide with Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, a solemn occasion that honors the six million Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust, observed each year starting Wednesday evening.
The report's statistics derive from various sources, including police records, national authorities, and local Jewish community reports. Earlier in the week, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released its comprehensive report on antisemitism in the United States. Notably, for the first time in nearly 50 years of data collection, the ADL found that incidents related to Israel—including protests characterized by chants, speeches, and signs—constituted over half of the reported antisemitic incidents in 2024. This revelation adds fuel to the ongoing and often divisive debate among American Jews and the broader community regarding the boundaries between harsh criticism of Israeli policies or Zionism and antisemitism.
