Antisemitic Incidents Worldwide Stalled in 2022, Report Says

The number of antisemitic incidents worldwide stalled out in 2022 but did increase in the United States, according to the latest report from the World Zionist Organization (WZO) Department of Combating Antisemitism & Enhancing Resilience published on January 24.

Raheli Baratz-Rix, who heads the department, told the Journal in a Zoom interview that the “peak” of worldwide antisemitism was in 2021 as a result of the Israel-Hamas conflict that year and the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think it was the most antisemitic year since 1974,” Baratz-Rix said, “and this year, 2022, we’re [at] the same level … and the numbers are still very high.”

The WZO’s “Antisemitism State of Affairs Report” found that 39.1% of antisemitic incidents worldwide occurred in North America in 2022, an increase from 33.3% the prior year. Europe, on the other hand, saw a slight decrease from 47.7% to 46% over the same timeframe. Overall, there was a slight increase in antisemitic physical violence worldwide (13% to 14.1%) and a sharp increase in antisemitic propaganda (24% to 38.8%) while antisemitic vandalism and riots declined (37% to 27.7% and 6% to 1.3%, respectively).

Regarding antisemitism in the United States, the report stated: “During the last year there has been a decrease in the number of hate crimes against Jews all over the world, yet in the U.S. we witnessed a disturbing increase of antisemitic incidents. The Russian invasion to Ukraine and the campaign related to the Covid 19 pandemic were accompanied by antisemitism expressions, besides some exceptional incidents such as utterances against Jews by figures from the culture world and sports, such as Kanye West. In addition, the Mid-Term Elections for the American Congress which took place this year, served as a fertile soil for dissemination of hatred and antisemitism.” The report added that the year saw “strengthening of the White Supremacy organizations” as well as “the increase in antisemitic utterances on behalf of the American Progressive Left.” “The discourse of radical progressive groups against the state of Israel and Zionism has been intensified and the progressive left supporters described Israel as a colonial state governed by the oppressive ‘white man,’” the report stated.

The report later discussed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and its number of failures in 2022, including anti-BDS laws being passed and upheld under legal challenges in the U.S. and Unilever vetoing Ben & Jerry’s Israel boycott. However, BDS spread on U.S. college campuses, as the report cited examples of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) protesters throwing stones at Jewish students at an Illinois university and the several student organizations at Berkeley Law who passed bylaws barring Zionist speakers from campus as examples.

“In a study made lately by the Department of State among students in the U.S. about 50% of the participants reported a sympathy toward Israel, in comparison with 36% who didn’t feel such sympathy,” the report stated. “It was also found in that study that 48% of all American students saw Israel as an asset for the U.S. in comparison to 24% who didn’t think so. Yet, the sympathy stands in contrast to the growing presence of the BDS movement on campuses. According to the abovementioned study, one of two students (49%) was exposed to calls for boycott on Israel and 56% of them supported such calls.”

“The BDS movement tried hard to damage Israel, but they won’t succeed because the resilience of Israel is very strong,” Baratz-Rix said. “We won’t let any of the BDS movement hurt the Israeli economy.”

Europe, on the other hand, saw a “recovery” in 2022 after experiencing “a record number of antisemitic incidents” in 2021. “When we examine the specific parameters, it can be seen that the security feeling of the Jews in Denmark and Hungary is the greatest, while in Germany, Belgium and France it is the lowest,” the report stated. “Yet, the activities of the governments for the Jewish communities are greater in Germany, Austria and France, while Spain and Belgium were at the end of the list in this realm.”

However, Baratz-Rix pointed out to the Journal that “in the [United States] there are more than six million Jews. In Europe, there is less than two [million Jews] and the number of the [antisemitic] events happening in Europe comparing to the number of Jews are terrible.”

The report concluded with a series of recommendations for 2023, including “strengthening regulation and control in the framework of freedom of speech including the capability to prosecute those who disseminate antisemitic messages and commit hatred offenses, with emphasis on establishing monitoring centers and online platforms for reporting hatred contents” as well as encouraging various institutions to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and more Holocaust education.

Baratz-Rix said that the “glass half full” view of the report is that there appears to be a heightened awareness worldwide about antisemitism, but the problem is that there is still a lack of media coverage on antisemitic incidents. “80% of those incidents haven’t been reported at all,” she said, adding that countries and states have an “obligation” to protect their Jewish communities.

WZO Chairman Ya’akov Hageol said in a statement, “Antisemitism on social media is increasing at an alarming rate and, unfortunately, as history has taught us, it will also lead to physical acts. We raise a clear black flag in view of the increase in incitement on the networks and call on the heads of state to raise the fight against antisemitism to the top of the list of priorities.” He added that he proposed a measure for the Israeli government “to recognize victims of antisemitism in the world as victims of hostilities.” “I will act as soon as possible to promote this offer,” Hageol said. “We must remember them in state ceremonies of the State of Israel, and act so that they will be an integral part of the nation’s memory and the shared national unity.”