Report released on WWII anniversary shows record high levels of global antisemitism, Jewish leaders demand action

Antisemitism has reached record high levels according to a new report that was released on the 80th anniversary of the Second World War and the Holocaust. The inaugural J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism, which was presented in Berlin, noted a dramatic rise in antisemitism from 2021 to 2023 in J7 Communities, the seven countries with the largest Jewish communities outside Israel.

The number of antisemitic incidents increased by 227% in the U.S., 185% in France, 83% in Canada, 82% in the United Kingdom, 75% in Germany, 23% in Argentina, and 11% in Australia. 

The report also confirmed the dramatic rise of global antisemitic incidents following the Hamas Oct. 7 attack against Israel in 2023. Furthermore, the report noted a growing trend of violent attacks against Jewish community centers, schools, and synagogues.

Additionally, Jewish individuals increasingly hide their identity as local authorities are failing to prevent the rise of antisemitism. Jewish leaders from concerned countries have called for action to combat societal antisemitism and secure Jewish institutions and preserve Jewish life. 

Marina Rosenberg, senior vice president of international affairs at the American-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL), emphasized that the Oct. 7 event constitutes a watershed moment in Jewish Diaspora history. 

“Since October 7, antisemitism has risen to unprecedented levels in societies where the majority of Jews live in the Diaspora,” Rosenberg warned. She called on the different governments to embrace the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism. 

Mauro Berenstein, president of DAIA, Argentina’s Jewish umbrella organization, noted a troubling rise in antisemitism despite the pro-Israel and pro-Jewish Argentine President Javier Milei. 

“In Argentina, we see with concern the exponential rise of antisemitism... amplified by social media,” Berenstein stated. 

Noah Shack, interim president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Canada, warned that antisemitism is a societal illness that ultimately threatens Canada’s future as a free and diverse society. 

“What is at stake is not only the safety... but the future of a Canada where everyone can live free from fear,” Shack argued. 

European Jewish leaders in France and Germany also expressed concerns about the rise in antisemitism. 

The British Jewish leader Phil Rosenberg emphasized that there should be “zero tolerance” for hatred against Jews. 

The J7 task force against antisemitism was established in July 2023, mere months before the Oct. 7 atrocities and the ensuing rise in global antisemitism.

Individuals with a Muslim immigrant background in Western societies have played a disproportionate role in the dramatic rise of antisemitism. 

Australia, a country with historically low levels of antisemitism and a thriving Jewish community, recorded a 317% increase in antisemitic incidents in 2024. 

Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, argued that the dramatic rise in antisemitism “illustrates that when antisemitism is not met with sufficient force... it can escalate into devastating violence.”

In December 2024, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) reported a whopping rise of 400% in anti-Jewish incidents in Australian society from Oct. 7, 2023, to September 2024. 

ECAJ Research Director Julie Nathan, who prepared the report, expressed deep concern about the dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents in Australia. 

“If anything, the raw numbers understate the seriousness of the surge in antisemitism that has occurred. There have been many new forms and expressions of anti-Jewish racism that would once have been considered alien to Australia, but which have become commonplace,” Nathan assessed.