The global increase in antisemitism is causing the Jewish community to feel isolated, according to a rabbi who believes the world is at a "tipping point."

The Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror massacre in Israel has led to an increase in antisemitism, resulting in threats, intimidation, and physical violence against Jewish communities worldwide.

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the American Jewish community's "presumed level of security" has changed in 2024. He explained that this shift is challenging when one considers their home as a place where they feel comfortable. With the increasing acceptance of "rolling antisemitism" in the U.S., Hauer stated that the issue is still viewed as a problem affecting Jewish people rather than a societal stain.

Hauer stated that the shift in recognition has been sudden and jarring. He explained, "It was like we were a source of darkness. All those who we stood shoulder-to-shoulder with to fight for their needs and to fight for their rights suddenly don’t recognize us."

The Anti-Defamation League recorded over 10,000 antisemitic incidents between October 7, 2023 and October 6, 2024, an increase from 3,325 incidents the previous year. This represents the highest annual total the group has ever counted. These incidents include over 8,000 instances of harassment, 150 physical assaults, and 1,840 acts of vandalism. More than half of these incidents took place at anti-Israel rallies (over 3,000) or at Jewish institutions (over 2,000).

Some politicians and the U.N. have fueled domestic anti-Israel sentiment. In January, the Chicago City Council passed a resolution advocating for a cease-fire in Gaza without also demanding the disarmament of Hamas, sparking widespread criticism from Jewish community leaders.

In October, U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese visited several U.S. campuses while presenting her latest report before the U.N. General Assembly. During a stop at Barnard College, Albanese "described Israel’s war in Gaza as a ‘genocide,’ justified the October 7 attack, and questioned Israel’s right to exist," the Times of Israel reported.

Anti-Israel protests on university campuses led to new forms of hatred, with Jewish students being excluded from their own spaces during some protests.

Anti-Israel protesters have flown terror flags on U.S. streets and campuses, tagged homes and institutions of those who angered them with an inverted red triangle used by Hamas to mark military targets, and replaced the American flag with the Palestinian flag in Washington, D.C., and wrote "Hamas is coming" on a statue of Christopher Columbus in July.

In October, a Mauritanian national who entered the country illegally in March 2023 shot a Jewish worshipper in Chicago before engaging in a shootout with responding police and paramedics. Chicago leaders waited five days before confirming the religious identity of the suspect's target and noting that the shooter had intentionally targeted the Jewish community.

The Lawfare Project's founder, Brooke Goldstein, a human rights attorney, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the reason for the atmosphere of intolerance is due to President Biden and the leaders of large cities around the country's failure to address the issue of Jewish-hatred, as it is politically inconvenient for them to enforce the civil rights of Jewish Americans and ensure public safety.

The progressive left has been ignoring the reality that the Jewish people are a minority group still requiring legal protections, despite facing attacks on their identity, ancestral homeland, and equal protection under the law. Their politicians downplay Jewish identity to avoid being labeled as hypocrites, given their support for social justice for all people except Jews, and even to avoid prosecuting attacks against Jews as hate crimes, especially when the attackers belong to other minority groups.

Hatred Around the World

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean and global social action director for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the world is at a "tipping point" when it comes to antisemitic intolerance. He explained that popular social media influencers are "normalizing" hatred of Israel, national leaders are escalating anti-Israel rhetoric, and extremists feel they won't be held accountable when they target the Jewish community. This, he said, is a "perfect storm" that is putting the Jewish community at risk.

In Europe, antisemitic hate incidents have increased by 800% in Sweden between 2022 and 2023. Jews in Europe have reported avoiding wearing items that identify their religion and changing their names to avoid being targeted. In France, there has been a 430% increase in Jews applying to immigrate to Israel from 2022 to 2023.

Despite having a small Jewish population, Ireland has experienced an increase in antisemitic hatred and self-censorship among Jews. In December, Israel shut down its embassy in the country due to Irish leaders' "deligitimization and demonization of the Jewish state."

The UK has experienced a significant rise in antisemitic hate, with the Community Security Trust reporting a record 1,978 incidents in the first half of 2024. This represents a 246% increase in "damage and desecration to Jewish property" compared to the first six months of 2023. In March, the Israeli minister for Diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism stated that London's pro-Hamas atmosphere made it the world's "most antisemitic city."

In late November, a bus carrying Jewish school children was attacked with rocks after protesters harassed those aboard. Prior to that, a man threw bottles at a group of Jewish teens, causing injury to one of them.

Overseas, there have been headlines about the persecution of the Jewish community. In June, a 12-year-old Jewish girl in France was raped because of her religion. In November, the body of Chabad Rabbi Zvi Kogan was discovered in the United Arab Emirates after he went missing from his Abu Dhabi home.

Since October 7th, over nine synagogues worldwide have been set on fire, with the latest attack taking place on December 18th in Montreal, which was also targeted in November 2023. Just two days later, a Jewish elementary school in Toronto was shot at for the third time since May.

On Dec. 6, another arson attack occurred at a synagogue in Melbourne, Australia. In response, the Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a travel advisory for Australia, stating that the country's leaders had not adequately addressed the "persistent demonization, harassment, and violence against Jews and Jewish institutions."

The Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a similar advisory for the Netherlands after a soccer match led to a "Jew Hunt," in which Jewish fans were tracked down and assaulted in the city. This incident sparked another attempted "Jew Hunt" in Antwerp and attacks on a Berlin youth soccer team.

Cooper stated that theoretically, a travel advisory could be placed on almost every Western European location, according to Planet Chronicle Digital.

Rabbi Cooper stated that the challenges facing the Jewish community in the U.S., with anti-Jewish intolerance present in elite universities, workplaces, the medical community, and the entertainment industry, are quite daunting. However, he expressed hope for the resilience of the Jewish community and the safety provided by American democracy.

According to Cooper, many appointees from President Trump's incoming administration, including incoming U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Rep. Elise Stefanik, are "defenders of our community." He believes that "a lot of good things can happen very, very quickly" when they begin implementing new policies.