Antisemitism at all time high in America, shows new report
Tel Aviv report says global antisemitism "calming down" though still at unacceptable levels
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
Two new reports on antisemitism were published this week — one showing an unprecedented rise in antisemitic incidents in America, the worst in the last 45 years — and another saying that worldwide antisemitism has plateaued.
The New York-based Anti-Defamation League’s annual report says that the 12 month total for 2024 averaged more than 25 targeted anti-Jewish incidents in the US per day — more than one an hour.
The shocking figures show 9,354 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment and vandalism across the country in 2024. It is the fourth year in a row that the incidents increased, says the ADL. And, for the first time, 58 per cent of all the incidents related to Israel or Zionism.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL chief executive, said: “This horrifying level of antisemitism should never be accepted and yet, as our data shows, it has become a persistent and grim reality for American Jewish communities. Jewish Americans continue to be harassed, assaulted and targeted for who they are on a daily basis and everywhere they go. But let’s be clear: we will remain proud of our Jewish culture, religion and identities, and we will not be intimidated by bigots.”
In contrast, Tel Aviv University’s annual antisemitism report for 2024 says that the “antisemitic wave is calming”, and that “contrary to common perceptions”, the peak in global anti-Jewish hatred was immediately after the October 7 attack, and not as the war progressed.
Tel Aviv’s report, a global survey, says that a particularly alarming rise was recorded in Australia, with increases observed in America, Italy, Spain, Canada, Argentina and Brazil. The report notes that very few complaints regarding antisemitic hate crimes have led to arrests and indictments, and observes: “Education and legislation without enforcement are meaningless.”
In its findings on Australia, the 11-strong team of Tel Aviv researchers found that a country “previously known for its spirit of tolerance and respect for minorities” had suffered a record 1713 antisemitic incidents in 2024 compared to 1200 in 2023. In Italy, the Centre of Contemporary Jewish Documentation registered 877 incidents in 2024 compared with 454 in 2023.
In Britain, the Tel Aviv report says 3528 incidents were recorded in 2024 compared to 4103 in 2023 and 1662 in 2022. But the figures show 1389 incidents in October 2023 — and 310 in October 2024.
Controversially, the 160-page Tel Aviv report addresses the issue of Israel’s recent Diaspora Affairs Ministry conference on global antisemitism, boycotted by numerous diaspora leaders — including the ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt — after far-right party leaders were invited.
Professor Uryia Shavit, head of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and one of the authors of the report, described the ministry as “gratuitous” and the minister leading it (Amichai Chikli) as “lacking experience or historical depth”. Jewish leaders, he said, “are wise to keep their distance from him”.
But, he added: “It is important to establish universal and clear standards for Israel’s and Jewish organisations’ relations with parties and leaders with an antisemitic past. The goal should be to give them a chance to change. We propose two criteria for legitimisation: party leaders must remove any member, no matter how junior, who has expressed antisemitic or racist views and has not retracted them, and they must unequivocally reject antisemitic or racist narratives. Additionally, they must prove their commitment to fighting antisemitism and racism over at least two election cycles”.
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