In the decades after the Holocaust, antisemitism did not disappear. But one of its manifestations, violence against Jews, was limited.
Across the major Jewish communities of the world, outside the Soviet Union, Jews lived with the knowledge that prejudice persisted yet did not feel they were under physical threat.
The largest factor in this dual reality was the impact of the Holocaust. While not sufficient to change attitudes that had existed for centuries, the shame of images of Auschwitz played a significant role in the easing of direct threats on Jews, including acts of violence.
The world we are living in the past few years looks starkly different. Antisemitic incidents have risen dramatically against Jews globally and in the United States. Attitudes towards Jews have deteriorated. And violence has become once again part of Jewish life.
Nowhere is this more starkly documented than in the second annual J7 Report, released just days ago.
The J7 is a task force that Anti-Defamation League (ADL) helped to form, comprised of organizations representing the seven largest Jewish communities in the diaspora, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In 2025 alone, 20 people were killed in antisemitic attacks globally – all in J7 countries. What makes the report particularly valuable is not any single country’s data, but the picture it paints, including a side-by-side comparison that reveals how antisemitic violence compares across communities.
Last year alone, the statistics for Europe are alarming. In France, 126 antisemitic assaults were reported in 2025, along with 174 in the UK and 182 in Germany.
In comparison, in the US there were 203 physical assaults among the 6,000-plus total incidents reported in 2026, highlighting the sad reality that antisemitic incidents overall are among the highest in the years ADL has been monitoring them.
Seen together, the per capita disparity is striking: In 2025, the US, with an estimated Jewish population of 5.7 million, had 3.2 violent antisemitic incidents per 100,000 Jews; in Australia that number is 20.5; in France, 28.7; in the UK, 55.6; in Germany, 145.6.
These numbers occurred even though these countries took steps to deal with the rise in antisemitism, although these actions were clearly insufficient.
The policy challenge
The UK expended £25 million in emergency funding for Jewish community security and conducted an independent review into antisemitism in schools.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron called for stronger measures to combat antisemitism, and the government threw its support behind a new law criminalizing the call for destruction of a state recognized by France.
And in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared a “war on antisemitism” and a state law tightened criminal laws against antisemitism and anti-Israel agitation.
In all these places, the very fact that Jews have been attacked in these numbers has produced a level of insecurity that hasn’t existed for some time.
The J7 data also point toward one particular outlier. One country with a significant Jewish population and a history of antisemitism, yet where the numbers are low, is Argentina. This is attributable in part to a favorable climate toward Jews in Argentinian society where the diversity of Jewish practice is embraced and even celebrated.
Argentina’s experience with two Iranian regime-backed bombings has raised awareness of terrorism; a prior government labeled Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, and most recently, under President Javier Milei, Hamas was also categorized as a terrorist entity.
In addition, Argentina is the only country in Latin America that has a special envoy on antisemitism and one of the few countries that actively prosecutes hate and antisemitic crimes.
The factors that have played into the increasing antisemitic threats against these largest Jewish communities start with the weakening of the impact of the Shoah as time passes. But many other factors come into play in this changing climate.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and antisemitism, has played a central role not only in fueling toxic hate globally but also by funding and orchestrating violent attacks and antisemitic campaigns.
The weakening of the political center and the normalization of the extremes have provided the context for the rise in conspiracy theories which target and blame Jews. Jews are held responsible for COVID-19. Jews are responsible for war in the Middle East and high oil prices. Jews are even accused of controlling Congress and President Donald Trump.
Hatred without borders
On both sides of the political spectrum, blaming the Jews is in fashion. On the right is the xenophobic “Great Replacement Theory,” which posits that Jews are behind the surge in undocumented migration. And on the left, claims arise that Jews use their wealth to purchase support for Israel, a state accused of genocide.
Unlike in the past when these kinds of conspiracies needed to locate individuals and vehicles to disseminate, now the availability of social media and the internet makes it an easy find for people everywhere. Blaming Jews becomes not just the province of extremists but enters the realm of widespread discourse and normal conversation.
The fight against antisemitism requires countries to adopt and implement a whole-of-society strategy that involves all levels of government, corporations, academia, civil society, and the public. While no one action or policy can end antisemitism, we must urge governments, as well as international and non-governmental organizations, to adopt and implement the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism.
In those countries around the world, including each one of the J7 governments, where the Global Guidelines have already been adopted by governments, there needs to be a focus on more robust implementation and enforcement to mitigate the threat and protect Jewish communities.
What governments do doesn’t always determine the level of antisemitism in a society, but it can have a major impact on the most egregious manifestation of antisemitism – violent assaults on the Jewish community.
Antisemitism has never defeated the Jewish people. But it has historically been allowed to fester when decision makers chose to look away. Now is the time for decision makers to recognize and act.■
Kenneth Jacobson is deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League.