The ADL recorded a total of 312 antisemitic incidents between October 7th and 23rd, 2023, 190 of which were directly linked to the war in Israel and Gaza. By comparison, during the same period in 2022, ADL received preliminary reports of 64 incidents, including four that were Israel-related.
ADL also tracked anti-Israel rallies since October 7th, at least 109 of which ADL found explicit or strong implicit support for Hamas and/or violence against Jews in Israel. These 109 are included in ADL’s tally of antisemitic incidents.
In one such incident, which occurred the day after the massacre in Clifton, New Jersey, A car with individuals holding Palestinian flags appeared to intentionally swerve out of its lane, nearly hitting a visibly Jewish family. In another incident, an individual allegedly punched a Jewish woman in the face in New York City's Grand Central Terminal. When she asked why, he responded: "You are Jewish."
“When conflict erupts in Israel, antisemitic incidents soon follow in the U.S. and globally,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “From white supremacists in California displaying antisemitic banners on highway overpasses to radical anti-Zionists harassing Jewish people because of their real or perceived support for the Jewish state, we are witnessing a disturbing rise in antisemitic activity here while the war rages overseas.”
ADL also says it recorded a nearly 1,000-percent increase in the daily average of violent messages mentioning Jews and Israel in white supremacist and right-wing extremist channels on the messaging platform Telegram in the days following the massacre in Israel.
“It is incumbent on all leaders, from political leaders to CEOs to university presidents, to forcefully and unequivocally condemn antisemitism and terrorism,” said Greenblatt. “This isn’t hard. Words matter, and while the war in Gaza escalates, we encourage all those in positions of power to use their platforms to condemn hate and terrorism wherever it occurs.”
The rise in antisemitic incidents has not been limited to the US. In France, the Minister of Interior announced on Monday that 588 antisemitic incidents had been reported to police, resulting in 336 arrests. In the UK, London police said that there were 218 antisemitic hate crimes reported from October 1-18, over 13 times greater than the same period last year. In Germany, the antisemitism monitoring organization RIAS reported a 240-percent increase in antisemitic incidents since October 7th, compared to the same time period last year. There have also been antisemitic incidents in other countries in Europe, as well as in Latin America, North Africa, Australia, and elsewhere.
In light of these alarming trends, ADL is calling on governments, political leaders, and those in positions of influence around the world to Continue to condemn antisemitism, both in principle and in reaction to antisemitic incidents, secure and support Jewish communities and their institutions, and prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic incidents to the full extent of the law.
