Executive Summary
The upward trend in antisemitic hate crimes persists in several countries.
✓ French Jewry experienced another case of violent murder targeting an elderly Jew. René Hadjadj, 89, was pushed to his death from a 17th floor balcony in Lyon. An antisemitic motive was initially ruled out, sparking massive outrage and distrust in institutions. Lyon prosecutor finally decided to consider a possible antisemitic motive after the retrieval of antisemitic rhetoric from the suspect’s social media.
✓ American Jews continue to face a consistent outbreak of antisemitic incidents. In May, New York appeared again as the nerve center of antisemitic violence, with at least five separate attacks on Jews in Brooklyn.
✓ In the UK, physical acts of antisemitism continued to primarily target visibly Orthodox Jews, including four children by groups of teenagers in two separate attacks.
Several government bodies and Jewish organizations released their annual reports, indicating a rise in antisemitic incidents in 2021. This upward trend was mainly attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic alongside the escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in May 2021. A global surge wasidentified in most countries with large Jewish communities in 2021.
✓ In Germany, a new Interior Ministry report showed that antisemitic crimes increased by 28.75% as compared to 2020. The 3,027 recorded crimes included 64 violent attacks. Relatedly, an AJC study showed the mainstreaming of antisemitic sentiments in Germany – especially among AfD voters and Muslims.
✓ In Austria, 965 antisemitic incidents were recorded in 2021, a 65% increase compared to 2020. The vast majority of physical assaults were carried out by Muslim perpetrators.
✓ In Latin America, the Observatorio Web reported an increase in Spanish-language antisemitism online.
Far-right antisemitism featured in high scale terror attack. In the U.S., Buffalo mass shooter released a 180-page
manifesto filled with Jew hatred. The shooter, an adherent of an antisemitic offshoot of the ‘great replacement’
theory, suggested that elite Jewish liberals promotes multiculturalism to ethnically “replace” white people.
Antisemitism remains prominent at the intersection of the far left with political and radical Islam
✓ Accusations claiming that Israel assassinated Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh proliferated. Reactionsincluded classic antisemitic motifs, alongside rhetoric vilifying Israel.
✓ Several events marking ‘Nakba Day’ held across the United States featured expressions of support for terror groups, calls for “Intifada,” and rhetoric demonizing Zionists.
✓ In the context of French legislative elections, the penetration of antisemitic elements in leftist coalition have come under fire. The anti-Macron alliance is led by far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon who has been repeatedly accused of having forged an unholy alliance with Islamist elements.
Other significant developments included the Iraqi Parliament’s decision to pass a bill criminalizing any ties with Israel; legislation the U.S. State Department described as “promoting an environment of antisemitism.”
