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The Rise of Antisemitism

Many Jews do not feel safe because of the rise of antisemitism worldwide. Indeed, antisemitic acts reached a ten-year high in 2021, according to a report released by the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization. Nearly 50% of antisemitic acts occurred in Europe and almost 30% in the United States. 

Antisemitism is based on a process of essentialization common to all forms of racism. This mechanism reduces an individual to an “origin” of a presumed race or religion. Moreover, antisemitism produces the same effects as racism: contempt, discrimination, exclusion, and violence. The operational definition of antisemitism adopted by the 31 IHRA member states in 2016 defines antisemitism as a certain perception of Jews that can manifest itself in hatred towards them. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism can target Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, community institutions and places of worship. 

To address this problem, governments must take the fight against antisemitism seriously, adopt and enforce strong legislation and work closely with civil society to raise awareness and change attitudes. Moreover, at the UNESCO event “The Power of Education in the Prevention of Racism and Discrimination: The Case of Antisemitism”, the UN Secretary-General recognized the critical role of education in preventing antisemitism and identified four priorities: 

–  Recognize antisemitism as a problem to be addressed at the international level.

– Develop education programs that address antisemitism within the framework of human rights and global citizenship.

– Strengthen the capacity of education systems to deal with antisemitism, conspiracy theories, and other forms of hate speech.

– Increase investment in social cohesion.

The “Did You Know?” section is brought to you by the CILP Program Assistants team covering various topics on social justice issues. This week’s author is Daphné Collombel.