Researchers: COVID-19, Israel-Gaza war fueled anti-Semitism

The report notes that in 2021 anti-Semitic incidents increased significantly in many countries with predominantly Jewish populations, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia. The study collected data from 22 countries.

For example, the French government said anti-Semitic incidents involving physical violence rose from 44% to 60%. Attacks in the UK increased 78% from 97 to 173. The number of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada increased by 54. The report said it ranged from 173 to 266%.

Extremist and violent ideas have always existed, but “you really have to make an effort to expose them decades ago,” said Uriah Shavit, director of Tel Aviv University’s Center for Contemporary European Jewish Studies, which produced the report. “Today it is very easy to reach them”.

The report, released as much of the world emerges from a two-year outbreak, comes after a year of sweeping change in Israel. The relatively wealthy Middle Eastern country was among the world leaders in the vaccination program early last year. He then launched his 11-day war in Israel against Hamas rulers fighting in Gaza in May, in which more than 260 Palestinians and 14 people were killed. Intense Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have inflicted severe damage and caused international concern and condemnation.

The authors write that despite years of education, new laws and money spent on fighting anti-Semitic fanaticism, all of this has led to an increase in anti-Semitism.

The report, which analyzed polls, news and other sources of information, said: “The struggle is failing.”

A report released on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel states that many countries with Jewish minorities have seen a sharp increase in anti-Jewish attacks since 2020, when the pandemic began.

Other countries, such as Italy and Argentina, saw a decline in anti-Semitism during the pandemic, the report said. The report says epidemic restrictions may have played a role in spreading conspiracy theories by white supremacists and state sponsors like Iran and Belarus to millions of blocked viewers.

In the United States, which has an estimated 6 million Jewish population, reports from police departments, Jewish organizations and the media point to an increase in anti-Semitic activity.

The Anti-Defamation League counted 2,717 incidents of anti-Semitic assault, harassment and vandalism in 2021, a 34% increase over the previous year. This was the highest figure since the New York-based group began tracking similar events in 1979.

A Tel Aviv University report suggests that anti-Semitism was on the rise at the time, but showed some degree of fluctuation. His research on American media reports showed 28 cases of violent physical attacks on Jews in 2021, a dozen in 2020 and 36 in 2019.

Small fluctuations were observed in New York and Los Angeles police stations, the homes of the largest Jewish population in the United States. In 2021, the NYPD filed 214 hate crime complaints, up from 126 the previous year and 252 in 2019. Meanwhile, the LAPD recorded 79 hate crime complaints in 2021. compared to 40 in 2020 and 42 the previous year. . .

There are signs that anti-Semitism is on the rise during the Israel-Gaza war, and social networks, especially the so-called Dark Web, are playing a role in this wave.

In Canada, B’Nai Brith Canada reported 61 attacks on Jews, the highest number since monitoring began in 1982 in May 2021. In total, 226 incidents were reported this month, a 54% increase from the same time last year. I said.