NEW YORK: The Anti-Defamation League on Sunday warned that “the future of Jewish life in the West” was under threat, detailing a sharp rise in anti-Semitism since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel.
The annual report from the ADL, the leading Jewish advocacy group, said anti-Semitic incidents had been increasing before the war erupted in October, but that the conflict had fueled “a fire that was already out of control.”
Jointly written with Tel Aviv University, the report said anti-Semitic incidents in 2023 were far above 2022 figures in most countries with large Jewish minorities, including the United States, France, Britain, Australia, Italy, Brazil and Mexico.
The publication of the report coincides with Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. “The aftermath of Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel on October 7th was followed by a tsunami of hate against Jewish communities worldwide,” Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the New York-based ADL, said.
“This year’s report is incredibly alarming, with documented unprecedented levels of anti-Semitism, including in the US, where 2023 saw the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in the US ever recorded by ADL.”
A wave of pro-Palestinian protests on US university campuses has been the latest front in a fierce worldwide debate over anti-Semitism as anger over the huge civilian death toll from Israel’s offensive has triggered complaints that protests and criticism have sometimes veered into hate rhetoric against Jews.
The ADL’s data recorded 7,523 incidents of anti-Semitism in the United States in 2023 compared with 3,697 incidents in 2022.
These acts included harassment, vandalism and assault, targeting Jewish-owned businesses, Jewish institutions and organizations and Jewish students.
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