Antisemitism in South Africa between October and December increased by 631% compared to same period last year.
In 2023, antisemitic incidents in SA reached the highest levels since the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) began compiling detailed lists from 1993. For Oct-Dec 2023 there were 139 recorded incidents compared to 19 over the same period in 2022, an increase of 631%.
There was also a sharp increase in physical attacks against Jewish persons or property, something which had occurred only rarely in previous years. There were six cases of physical assault, whereas the annual average had been only one in the preceding decade. These included two cases of assault outside a Johannesburg synagogue, an attack on a Johannesburg Rabbi and a person being hit over the head with a pole at a pro-Palestine rally in Cape Town. Vandalism included damage and desecration to Jewish cemeteries in Pretoria and Durban.
A distinction is made between antisemitic acts and antisemitic discourse. General negative comments about Jews in the broader media realm, however wrongheaded and even deplorable they might be, fall into the ‘discourse’ category. While not counted as specific incidents, however, the propagation of overtly prejudiced hostile attitudes towards Jews and Judaism as well as certain extreme forms of anti-Zionist rhetoric is always a concern, not just because of the emotional and psychological harm it causes but also because if unchallenged it can easily lead to actual acts of harm. It can fuel antisemitic incidents against Jews and Jewish institutions, and may leave many Jews feeling isolated, vulnerable and hurt.
