2018 Sees Record Spike in Antisemitic Attacks in Europe, North America

January 29, 2019

2 min read

Thirteen Jews were murdered in antisemitic attacks in 2018—the most since the Jewish community center bombing in Buenos Aires in 1994, the Diaspora Affairs Ministry said in a report Sunday.

The report also cited record levels of antisemitism on the streets and online, which saw a significant uptick after the U.S. embassy was relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the Hamas-orchestrated “March of Return” protests along the Israel-Gaza border.

Iran was still the world’s worst offender in terms of anti-Semitic expressions, and remains the main perpetrator of spreading incitement and Holocaust denial.

Europe and the United States also saw an increase in Jew-hatred, and unlike previous years, anti-Semitic violence was mostly perpetrated by neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

In Western Europe, right-wing parties continued to amass public support amid the immigration and refugee crisis. In these countries, the report said, “antisemitism went up a level and became more prevalent and trivial.”

In France, a two-year trend of decreasing anti-Semitic incidents saw a disconcerting reversal, with a 69-percent increase in the number of incidents. Germany also recorded an increase of anti-Semitic incidents, as did Great Britain.

In the United States as well, there has been more antisemitism. In January 2018, Jewish university student Blaze Bernstein was murdered, followed by a consistent rise in antisemitic attacks, including hate crimes on college campuses, and culminating in the Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting in Pittsburgh.

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett presented the report at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

“It is Israel’s responsibility to help our millions of brothers and sisters in the Diaspora against the rise of anti-Semitic crimes,” he said. “2018 was a record year for antisemitism in the streets, online and in the political arena across the globe.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN on Sunday that there was a “new antisemitism in Europe, which comes from the extreme left and pockets of radical Islam on the continent.” According to the prime minister, these groups “disseminate lies and slander about Israel.”

The idea that Jews don’t have a right to their own country is the most fundamental form of antisemitism, said Netanyahu.

Share this article

Donate today to support Israel’s needy

$10

$25

$50

$100

$250

CUSTOM AMOUNT

Subscribe

Prophecy from the Bible is revealing itself as we speak. Israel365 News is the only media outlet reporting on it.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. See how the latest updates in Jerusalem and the world are connected to the prophecies we read in the Bible. .