Nine out of 10 European Jews believe anti-Semitism is getting worse, and a majority are increasingly worried about the risk of harassment.
Anti-Semitism is worst and most problematic on the internet and social networks, according to 89 percent of the 16,300 respondents to the survey, conducted in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom — the 12 countries home to 96 percent of European Jews.
Eighty-five percent of those surveyed by the EU’s Fundaments Rights Agency (FRA) think anti-Semitism is the biggest social and political problem in their home countries.
Seventy-three percent think hostile behavior toward Jews in public is a big or very big problem, and almost a third of European Jews avoid attending events or visiting Jewish sites because they do not feel safe.
The situation is particularly acute in France, where 88 percent of the Jewish community said vandalism of their buildings and institutions is a problem, and 83 percent say desecration of Jewish cemeteries is worrying.
Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans told a press briefing that anti-Semitism is “a disease, even at the dawn of the 21st century,” adding that “we see it slipping more and more into political rhetoric.”
The report says anti-Semitic abuse has become so common that most victims do not bother reporting the incidents.
Among the findings:
- 89% of the 16,395 Jews surveyed considered anti-Semitism online a problem in their country
- 28% experienced some form of harassment for being Jewish in the past 12 months; 2% were physically attacked
- 47% worry about anti-Semitic verbal insult or harassment and 40% about physical attack in the next 12 months
- 34% have avoided Jewish events at least occasionally because of safety fears
- 38% have considered emigrating in the past five years over safety fears
Asked about a rise in anti-Semitism in Hungary, Timmermans called on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to avoid “dog-whistle” politics and said some of the campaigns orchestrated by Orbán have led to anti-Semitic responses in Hungarian society.
In a statement, Věra Jourová, the commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality, said she was “deeply saddened that 9 out of 10 Jews in Europe say that anti-Semitism has increased over the past five years. The Jewish community should feel at home and safe in Europe, whether they are on the way to the synagogue or surfing online.”