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Antisemitism

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Antisemitism is the bias, prejudice or discrimination against Jews. A synonym of antisemitism is Judeophobia,[1] preferred by those considering "antisemitism" ambiguous.[1]

Overview

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Human history has been full of antisemitism,[1] the worst instance of which is the Holocaust,[2] while the most common form of antisemitism is conspiracy theories.[3][4] The adjective of antisemitism is antisemitic. Those with antisemitic views are called antisemites.[5]

Recent trend

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Main articles: Holocaust denial, Holocaust inversion, and Holocaust trivialization
Black Hebrew Israelites, who refuse to believe that Jesus was Jewish, protested in San Diego, California against the long-standing depiction of Jesus as a "White man" rather than a Black man.
A propaganda poster made by the Black Hebrew Israelites (BHI) implying that Black and Native Americans are the "real" descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. The BHI allege that the said peoples have been "wrongfully" classified by White imperialists into different ethnic groups across the Western hemisphere.

On January 14, 2025, American civil rights group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced the findings of their newest global survey (58,000 respondents) that 46% of the world's adult population (around 2,200,000,000 people) held deeply entrenched antisemitic views.[6]

Among the respondents, 56% thought that Jews were "only loyal to Israel" while 46% "Jews had too much power over global affairs".[6] 76% of those in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are found to agree with 11 negative stereotypes of Jews,[6] the highest of all regions.[6] Meanwhile, Kuwait and Indonesia are found to have highest % of such.[7]

Regarding the Holocaust, only 48% of the respondents recognized its historical accuracy, with the percentage being the lowest (39%) among the age group 18–34.[7]

Etymology

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American historian Deborah Lipstadt and several antisemitism experts said that the word antisemitism was invented by anti-Jewish German nationalist Wilhelm Marr in his tract Path to Victory of Germanism Over Judaism to refer to the prejudice against Jews, which he deemed necessary for the German race to stop Jews (the leading group of Semites in Europe back then) from subverting the German culture.[8] Despite Semites including other Middle Eastern ethnic groups,[9] German nationalists like Wilhelm Marr referred to Jews as Semites specifically.[8][9]

Semantically, antisemitism cannot be assumed as the prejudice against all Semitic groups, or it would constitute the etymological fallacy (using a word's ancient meaning to make a point about its current meaning).[9] Moreover, the word covers Jews who practice Judaism, Jews who converted to Christianity and those with traceable Jewish ancestry,[8][9] all of whom can be victims of antisemitism.[8][9]

Spelling

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The term is spelled by some as anti-Semitism, but such spelling is controversial. Historians have pointed out that anti-Semitism is misleading as there is no such an ideology as "Semitism" that can be opposed,[8][9] while the concept Semites derived from pseudoscientific 19th-century scientific racism.[8][9]

Asia

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Antisemitism in Asia (Polling agency: ADL)[10]
Country % population holding biases against Jews
(95% confidence level)[10]
Malaysia 61 61
 
South Korea 53 53
 
Indonesia 48 48
 
Bangladesh 32 32
 
Kazakhstan 32 32
 
Mongolia 26 26
 
Japan 23 23
 
China 20 20
 
India 20 20
 
Thailand 13 13
 
Vietnam 6 6
 
Philippines 3 3
 
Laos 0.2 0.2
 

Europe

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Main article: Antisemitism in Europe

In a 2013 survey of 5,847 Jews in Europe, 76% thought that antisemitism had increased in the previous five years, while 29% had thought about moving countries as they felt unsafe.[11] A 2023 ADL survey found that as many as one-third of Western Europeans believed in stereotypes of Jews. This was reportedly worse in some Eastern European countries, particularly Hungary (37%), Poland (35%) and Russia (26%).[12] In Eastern Europe, the level of antisemitism is found to be high.[13] The cause of persistent antisemitism in Europe is under debate.[14][15]

Antisemitism in Europe (Polling agency: ADL)[10]
Country % population holding biases against Jews
(95% confidence level)[10]
Greece 69 69
 
Armenia 58 58
 
Poland 45 45
 
Bulgaria 44 44
 
Serbia 42 42
 
Hungary 41 41
 
Belarus 38 38
 
France 37 37
 
Azerbaijan 37 37
 
Lithuania 36 36
 
Romania 35 35
 
Croatia 33 33
 
Bosnia and Herzegovina 32 32
 
Georgia 32 32
 
Russia 30 30
 
Moldova 30 30
 
Spain 29 29
 
Montenegro 29 29
 
Latvia 28 28
 
Austria 28 28
 
Slovenia 27 27
 
Belgium 27 27
 
Germany 27 27
 
Switzerland 26 26
 
Estonia 22 22
 
Portugal 21 21
 
Ireland 20 20
 
Italy 20 20
 
Iceland 16 16
 
Norway 15 15
 
Finland 15 15
 
Czech Republic 13 13
 
Denmark 9 9
 
United Kingdom 8 8
 
Netherlands 5 5
 
Sweden 4 4
 

Latin America

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Mariana de Carabajal, a Jewish Catholic convert, was executed over the false charge of "relapsing into Judaism," in where is now the Mexico City, 1601 AD.
"JEWS GO HOME!", a graffiti on the wall of the Israeli Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela.
Antisemitism in Latin America (Polling agency: ADL)[10]
Country % population holding biases against Jews
(95% confidence level)[10]
Panama 52 52
 
Colombia 41 41
 
Dominican Republic 41 41
 
Peru 38 38
 
Chile 37 37
 
Guatemala 36 36
 
Paraguay 35 35
 
Nicaragua 34 34
 
Uruguay 33 33
 
Costa Rica 32 32
 
Venezuela 30 30
 
Bolivia 30 30
 
Haiti 26 26
 
Mexico 24 24
 
Argentina 24 24
 
Trinidad and Tobago 24 24
 
Jamaica 18 18
 

Since 7 October 2023, a spike in harassment and violence against Jews has also been recorded across Latin America.[16] According to the Latin American Jewish Congress, 91% of community leaders from several Latin American countries reported that antisemitism had increased since 7 October 2023.[17]

Hispan TV, the Spanish channel of the antisemitic[18] Iranian regime's state television Press TV, has reportedly contributed to antisemitism among its 600 million audience in Latin America by promoting the[19]

MENA

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Further information: History of Jews in the Arabian Peninsula, Calls for the destruction of Israel, and Palestinian political violence

Background

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Execution of a Jewess in Morocco (Sol Hachuel), c. 1861; painting by Alfred Dehodencq.

Jews started living in the Arabian Peninsula in the 6th century BC, when Babylonian Empire's conquest of the Kingdom of Judah forced Jews out of Judea. Successive waves of Jewish exiles – caused by alternating conquests of Judea – made Jews the leading ethnoreligious group[21] in the Arabian Peninsula, where Judaism stood in contrast to the multi-god religion of ancient Arabs,[22] many of whom had arrived later than the Jews due to their nomadic nature.[22]

Middle Ages

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Jews thrived in the Arabian Peninsula until Muslims conquered the Peninsula, when they, along with other conquered indigenous peoples, were required to pay jizya in exchange for their existence to be tolerated.[22][23] The payment of jizya granted Jews the status of dhimmi under which they were prohibited – under the threat of execution – from criticizing any aspects of Islam, sharing Jewish ideas to Muslims or touching a Muslim woman.[24] Jews were also not allowed to[24]

21st century

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2010s

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Antisemitism is extremely common in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In 2011, the Pew Research Center polled a significant number of Middle Eastern countries' citizens, where Muslims are the majority. Most of the interviewees were hostile to Jews. Only 2% of Egyptians, 3% of Lebanese Muslims and 2% of Jordanians reported feeling good about Jews.[25] Some scholars believe that mass media have played a significant role in such phenomenon.[26][27] Further data are presented as follows.

Antisemitism in the MENA (Polling agency: ADL)[10]
Country % population holding biases against Jews
(95% confidence level)[10]
Palestine 93 93
 
Iraq 92 92
 
Yemen 88 88
 
Algeria 87 87
 
Libya 87 87
 
Tunisia 86 86
 
Kuwait 82 82
 
Jordan 81 81
 
Bahrain 81 81
 
Qatar 80 80
 
Morocco 80 80
 
United Arab Emirates 80 80
 
Lebanon 78 78
 
Oman 76 76
 
Egypt 75 75
 
Saudi Arabia 74 74
 

Sub-Saharan Africa

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Antisemitism in sub-Saharan Africa (Polling agency: ADL)[10]
Country % population holding biases against Jews
(95% confidence level)[10]
Senegal 53 53
 
Mauritius 44 44
 
South Africa 38 38
 
Cameroon 35 35
 
Kenya 35 35
 
Botswana 33 33
 
Côte D'Ivoire 22 22
 
Nigeria 16 16
 
Uganda 16 16
 
Ghana 15 15
 
Tanzania 12 12
 

The % of South Africa's population holding biases against Jews rose to 47% in 2019 from 38% in 2014.[28] Since the Israel–Hamas war started on 7 October 2023, there has been an upsurge in harassment and violence against Jews in South Africa.[29][30] Between 7 October and 31 December 2023, attacks on Jews rose by 631% in South Africa as compared to the same period in 2022.[31]

United States

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Further information: Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam, and Black Hebrew Israelites

2010s

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Neo-Nazi Goyim Defense League (GDL) member Patrick Little holding an antisemitic placard ("JEWS RAPE KIDS") at a street corner in Los Angeles, United States.

A 2017 survey showed that 14% of Americans were hostile to Jews.[32] Since the October 7 massacre, antisemitism has surged in America and Europe, especially on college campuses.[33][34] Such antisemitism has caused thousands of Jewish students to get attacked over their identity.[33][34]

2020s

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In August 2024, the advocacy group Combat Antisemitism Movement did a poll which found that around 3,500,000 American Jews had faced antisemitism since the October 7 massacre in 2023. 1,075 American Jews were asked, 28% of whom said that they, often, were told that "Jews care too much about money," 25% were told that "Jews control the world" and 13% were told that "the Holocaust did not happen" or its "severity has been exaggerated."[35][36] Meanwhile, the FBI released crime statistics illustrating that antisemitic incidents constituted 68% of all religion-based hate crimes in 2023, a 63% rise compared to 2022.[37]

A follow-up research between May and October 2024 found that American Jews faced rising discrimination in job search, with American Jews having to make 24% more applications to receive the same amount of favorable first responses as Western European Americans, while Israeli Americans having to make 39% more applications to receive the same amount of such.[38][39]

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Antisemitism.

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
    • Schäfer, Peter (October 1, 1998). Judeophobia: Attitudes toward the Jews in the Ancient World. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674487789. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
    • Hayes, Christine (1999). "Judeophobia: Peter Schäfer on the Origins of Anti-Semitism". Jewish Studies Quarterly. 6 (3). Mohr Siebeck GmbH & Co. KG: 261–273. JSTOR stable/40753239. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
    • Wistrich, Robert S. (1999). Demonizing the other: Antisemitism, racism and xenophobia. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-51619-8. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
    • Sadan, Tsvi (July 1, 2021). "It's Not Antisemitism, It's Judeophobia. What's the Difference and Why You Should Know". Israel Today. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Pierre, Dion J. (January 14, 2025). "Nearly Half of World's Adults Hold Antisemitic Views, ADL Survey Finds". Algemeiner. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Maltz, Judy (January 14, 2025). "'Deeply Alarming' | Kuwait and Indonesia Top List of World's Most Antisemitic Countries, Global Survey Shows". Haaretz. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Bard, Mitchell. "Anti-Semitism or Antisemitism?". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6
  10. ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 Cite error: The named reference S(A) was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  11. ↑ "Discrimination and hate crime against Jews in EU Member States: experiences and perceptions of antisemitism" (PDF). European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  12. ↑ "ADL Survey Finds Harmful Antisemitic Stereotypes Remain Deeply Entrenched Across Europe". Anti-Defamation League. May 31, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑
  15. ↑
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ "Latin America: Warning of a sharp rise in anti-Semitism". Aurora. December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1
  19. ↑ "Iran's Hispan TV promoting antisemitism in Latin America, says rights group". Iran International. July 16, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  20. ↑
  21. ↑ "Who Are the Jews? | AJC - American Jewish Committee". American Jewish Committee. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Gil, Moshe (1997). The origin of the Jews of Yathrib. Brill. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9789004138827.
  23. ↑
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1
  25. ↑ "Muslim-Western Tensions Persist - Pew Research Center". Washington, D.C. July 21, 2011.
  26. ↑
  27. ↑
  28. ↑ "The ADL GLOBAL 100: An Index of Antisemitism – South Africa". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  29. ↑
  30. ↑
  31. ↑ "'There is No Antisemitism Here,' South African Justice Minister Claims, Despite 631 Percent Increase in Attacks on Jews". Algemeiner. January 31, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  32. ↑ "In First, New ADL Poll Finds Majority of Americans Concerned About Violence Against Jews and Other Minorities, Want Administration to Act". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1
  35. ↑ "Antisemitism in US at all-time high as American Jews report 'explosion of hate'". The Jerusalem Post. October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  36. ↑ "3.5 million US Jews experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7 Hamas attack, survey finds". The Times of Israel. October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  37. ↑
  38. ↑
  39. ↑
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