As Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, a new report from Tel Aviv University reveals a sharp increase in severe violence against Jews in Western countries in 2025. According to the report, the number of people murdered due to antisemitic violence in the West reached a record high in over 30 years, with 20 killed in four deadly attacks. Incidents involving physical harm, vandalism against Jewish institutions, and online hate also rose across all surveyed Western nations compared to 2022, the year preceding Hamas's October 7 attacks and Israel's subsequent wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and with Iran.
The report highlights the shooting at a Jewish community Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia, on December 14, 2025, as the most significant antisemitic attack of the year, leaving 15 dead and dozens injured. Overall antisemitic incidents in Australia slightly increased from 1,727 in 2024 to 1,750 in 2025, both years marking a sharp rise from 472 cases in 2022. Similar upward trends were documented in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.
In the United States, home to approximately 6 million Jews—the world's largest Jewish community outside Israel—the report identifies the "normalization of antisemitic rhetoric in American political discourse" as the most worrying phenomenon of the year. It singles out U.S. President Donald Trump and his connections to "deep-seated, loathsome antisemites within his camp." The report further claims that Trump poses "a danger to the future of the [United States], and liberal democracy at large" due to his "inflammatory, degrading political rhetoric," failure to recognize "the evil that is fascist Russia," and "contempt for the rule of law." Additionally, it notes waning support for Israel among U.S. residents in both Republican and Democratic circles as a concern for local Jews.
In Germany, the number of antisemitic incidents decreased from 6,560 in 2024 to 5,729 in 2025, but cases involving physical violence remained similar (144 in 2025 versus 148 in 2024). Data from Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) indicates that many antisemitic crimes are directly linked to the escalation following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks and Israel's war in Gaza. While combating antisemitism is frequently cited as a goal of the German government, the current coalition led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right Christian Democratic Union has implemented budget cuts to education programs, affecting non-governmental institutions focused on antisemitism prevention.
The report also criticizes the handling of the issue by the far-right Israeli government and local media. Authors state that Israeli politicians and media have "continuously expanded" the meaning of antisemitism, "at times in absurd or hasty ways," thereby "emptying it of analytic meaning." It particularly targets the Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, led by right-wing politician Amichai Chikli, asserting it "has not contributed in any meaningful way" to fighting antisemitism and has been "an embarrassment" in some cases. The report recommends shutting down the ministry after Israel's legislative election in October 2025, deeming it "imperative," as the ministry has faced criticism from European Jewish communities due to Chikli's ties with far-right European politicians.
Source: www.dw.com