Media Ignores Rise in Antisemitism

Written by Jack Elbaum

What’s happening: The past two weeks bore witness to a shocking rise in antisemitism — both in the U.S. and abroad — seemingly connected to the Israel-Hamas war.

• However: The mainstream media has barely recognized it.

The details: A man who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State fatally stabbed a Jew in Switzerland while screaming “death to the Jews.” Near Smith College in Massachusetts, swastika graffiti appeared and mezuzas were torn from doorposts. The school used the opportunity to condemn Islamophobia and said it is considering divesting from Israeli companies.

• Still more: In California, a Jewish dentist was shot to death by a “disgruntled” Muslim patient; some believe it was a hate crime.

Why it matters: These incidents occurred in just two weeks, with little attention from media or from authorities. Since Oct. 7, antisemitism has exploded in the West — with threats against synagogues and physical attacks (including deadly ones).

Young people: Reports from high schools across the country suggest that the environment has become increasingly hostile. In New York, students chanted “death to Israel” in the hallways. One student saluted Nazi-style, and another called her teacher a “dirty Jew.” In California, some students chanted “kill the Jews” during a walkout, and a teacher began showing “resistance art” during class.

• The numbers: Data show that a majority of young people believe Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack was justified and Israel should be “ended.” Two-thirds believe Jews as a group are “oppressors.”

Canada: In Montreal, where the Holocaust Museum was hosting an Israel-related event, anti-Israel activists organized a protest outside featuring Nazi salutes and a man yelling “death to the Jews” in Arabic. At a synagogue in Thornhill, a group held a sign reading “synagogues complicit in Palestinian ethnic cleansing.”

• Also: Outside a Montreal synagogue, a speaker shouted “You guys [Jews] tried to oppress and colonize South Africa and Germany. Because one thing is granted, every single tree and rock that you guys are going to touch is going to be free,” referencing a Hadith about killing Jews to hasten the day of judgment.