From graffiti and online threats to physical attacks, anti-Semitic attacks appear to be on the rise since Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians on October 7.
On Friday, the Israeli government warned citizens to avoid outward displays of their Jewish identity as anti-Semitic attacks increase around the world, and in Germany officials responded to the rising number of anti-Semitic incidents with warnings that they would be prosecuted as crimes.
The observed spikes in anti-Semitism in October also follow a series of record years in the United States. In 2022, the Anti-Defamation League tracked an average of ten anti-Semitic incidents per day, the highest number since its founding in 1979.
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Early data appears to confirm concerns that the war between Israel and Hamas is worsening anti-Semitism worldwide. But looking at long-term data reveals a fuller picture: that religion-based hate crimes have been rising for years, requiring vigilance from both Muslims and Jews.
That 2022 peak is supported by FBI data, which shows multiple spikes in anti-Semitic crimes in recent years. FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the threat is reaching “some kind of historic levels.”
Before October 7, the rise of anti-Semitic incidents was mainly driven by the growing number of white nationalist and supremacist groups in the country. Five years ago, a white nationalist gunman killed 11 worshipers and injured six others at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh — the worst act of anti-Semitic violence in American history.
Violent extremists in the US have targeted both Jewish and Muslim communities in the past, Mr Wray said, also noting the recent fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy in Illinois – along with his mother, who it survived – is a threat. is being investigated as a federal hate crime. The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington says it received nearly 800 complaints of anti-Muslim bigotry from Oct. 7 to 28, the most in eight years and a 245% increase over the same period last year.
“This is not a time for panic, but it is a time for vigilance,” Mr Wray said. “We should not stop going about our daily lives – going to schools, places of worship, etc. – but we should be vigilant.”