A new survey by the Anti-Defamation League reports a widespread increase in “antisemitic tropes” across the modern world.
- Nearly 40% of respondents agreed with at least six different antisemitic tropes. 56% of those polled believed that Jews are more loyal to the state of Israel than their home country. These percentages varied, with the highest levels resting at 64% in Argentina and Germany.
- Support for Hamas has increased, with 15% now said to view the Palestinian fighting force as “somewhat favorably” or “very favorably” on average. 26% of Gen Z respondents view Hamas “favorably.”
- The survey was conducted in J7 countries, an informal grouping of nations perceived to be humanity’s most advanced. It includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Zooming out: The ADL drew several conclusions regarding how others view the Jewish people internationally. Their findings come at a time of increased scrutiny as Israel’s war on Gaza nears a grim milestone of nearly 40,000 dead.
- The survey revealed that “antisemitic tropes” have starkly increased since previous surveys, with the highest in France and Argentina and the lowest in Canada and the UK.
- Among all age brackets, Millennials were shown to have the highest levels of antisemitism, partnered only with GenZ when it comes to unfavorable views of Israel.
- The ADL concluded that Conspiratorial thinking is the strongest predictor of antisemitic beliefs, even more so than denial of the holocaust.
- The survey also asserts that the second-most widely accepted trope across J7 countries is that “Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.” This sentiment is felt in Germany at 55%, 28% in the United Kingdom, and 33% percent in the United States.
Between the lines: The ADL-led survey suggests a normalization of Hamas support across the board and increased “demonization” of Israel amid international war crime allegations.
- “After years of antisemitism mostly keeping to the fringes of society, it is alarming to see the percentage of people who harbor antisemitism and anti-Israel beliefs rising both in the United States and around the world,” bemoaned Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s CEO.
- “The tsunami of anti-Jewish hate unleashed worldwide after the Hamas atrocities of October 7 has reached unprecedented levels, reviving age-old antisemitic tropes. While antisemitism was on the rise even before Hamas’s brutal attack, the global surge in antisemitic attitudes and incidents since October 7 is unparalleled,” said Senior Vice President for International Affairs, Amb. Marina Rosenberg.
In the Headlines: The ADL has previously drawn ire for its heavy-handed methods in fighting what it believes to be antisemitism.
- The group has often attempted to flex its “moral authority” to curtail free speech in order to suppress and silence critics of Israel, Jews, and their interests internationally.
- This month, the ADL was banned from being used as a source by the online database Wikipedia after its editors found the Jewish group to be “unreliable” on the Israel-Palestine conflict and antisemitism, its primary mission.
- Despite protests from 40 different Jewish advocacy groups, Wikipedia’s parent company, Wikimedia, upheld the ban, delivering what some have called a “stunning blow” to the organization’s credibility.
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