‘It’s not 1938’: annual antisemitism report finds worst outbreak since World War II
- Antisemitism had been increasing before the Hamas massacre in Israel but ‘October 7 helped spread a fire that was already out of control’
- The report, entitled ‘Concern for the Future of Jewish Life in the West’, warns against explaining the trend as a reaction to the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip
In the seven months following Hamas’ shocking attack on Israel, the world has seen the worst outbreak of antisemitism since World War II, an annual report released on Sunday said.
Last year, for example, there was an average of around three bomb threats per day against synagogues and Jewish institutions in the United States.
“The year is not 1938, not even 1933,” said Professor Uriya Shavit. “Yet if current trends continue, the curtain will descend on the ability to lead Jewish lives in the West – to wear a Star of David, attend synagogues and community centres, send kids to Jewish schools, frequent a Jewish club on campus, or speak Hebrew.”
Antisemitism had been steadily increasing in the months and years leading up to the massacres by Hamas and other Palestinian extremist groups, the report notes, but “October 7 helped spread a fire that was already out of control”.
