The seven largest Jewish communities outside Israel are reporting historic spikes in antisemitism, according to a new report released Wednesday to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Holocaust.
The inaugural J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism, presented in Berlin by the J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, shows dramatic increases in antisemitic incidents across Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the United States — a trend the group attributes in part to the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“Since October 7, antisemitism has risen to unprecedented levels in societies where the majority of Jews live in the Diaspora,” said Marina Rosenberg, senior vice president of international affairs at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). She urged governments worldwide to adopt the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism.
Australia recorded the most dramatic year-over-year jump in 2024, with a 317% increase in incidents. The U.S. reported a 5% rise, while preliminary data from Canada and Germany suggest incidents there have either continued to grow or stayed at historically high levels.
From 2021 to 2023, antisemitic incidents rose 227% in the U.S., 185% in France, 83% in Canada, 82% in the U.K., 75% in Germany, 23% in Argentina and 11% in Australia.
In Germany, the rate of antisemitic incidents per capita reached more than 38 for every 1,000 Jewish residents in 2023 — the highest among the J7 countries. The UK followed with 13 incidents per 1,000.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
The report identified troubling commonalities: a rise in violent attacks, frequent targeting of synagogues, schools and Jewish community centers and a surge in online hate. In several countries, Jews reported feeling compelled to hide their identities, while authorities often failed to act against antisemitic violence or incitement.
“In Argentina, we see with concern the exponential rise of antisemitism... amplified by social media,” said Mauro Berenstein, president of DAIA, Argentina’s Jewish umbrella organization.
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the situation in his country “illustrates that when antisemitism is not met with sufficient force... it can escalate into devastating violence.”
In Canada, Jewish schools have been shot at, synagogues firebombed and neighborhoods targeted, said Noah Shack, interim president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. “What is at stake is not only the safety... but the future of a Canada where everyone can live free from fear.”
Crif President Yonathan Arfi called the surge in France “a test for our democracies,” while Germany’s Dr. Josef Schuster warned of a growing alliance against Jews that spans political extremes and reaches into the center of society.
British Jewish leader Phil Rosenberg stressed the need for “zero tolerance,” and Betsy Berns-Korn, chair-elect of the U.S.-based Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said the J7’s unified voice reflects “unwavering resolve.”
The J7 task force, coordinated by the ADL, brings together major Jewish organizations from each country to confront the rising tide of antisemitism through collective data, advocacy and policy recommendations.