Antisemitism, the hatred of Jewish people, not only persists in every generation but also swells and intensifies. For all the modern world’s talk of acceptance, diversity, and religious tolerance, antisemitism ironically remains not only a problem but an escalating and urgent global worry of the twenty-first century—especially after Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Somehow, the future is progressively moving backward when it comes to Jewish people. In this article, we will explore some of the key trends and challenges causing this primitive descent.

Kinds of Antisemitic Incidents

One of the most disturbing trends in contemporary antisemitism is its resurgence and normalization. Even before October 7, 2023, there had been a startling increase in antisemitic incidents across the globe, including hate speech, vandalism, physical attacks, and even acts of terrorism. Some tragic examples include the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting[1] and the 2019 Poway synagogue shooting.[2] But post-October 7, the waves of antisemitism surged into a tsunami.

Consider some of these disconcerting statistics:

• United States: The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported over 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States in the year following the October 7, 2023 attack, a 200 percent increase from the same period the previous year. This is the highest number of incidents recorded in a single year since the ADL began tracking in 1979.[3]
• Global: While comprehensive global data is still being collected, reports from countries on every continent indicate a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, including hate speech, vandalism, physical attacks, and online harassment. Read about them here.
• College Campuses: The ADL recorded a 500 percent increase in antisemitic incidents on US college campuses in the year following the attack, with over 1,200 incidents reported.[4]
• Online Spaces: There is a significant rise in antisemitic content online, particularly on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, with narratives shifting toward violent rhetoric and dehumanizing stereotypes.

Examples of antisemitic expressions include:

• Hate Speech: Increased use of antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories, often blaming Jewish people for conflict or accusing them of manipulating events for their benefit.
• Vandalism: Swastikas and other antisemitic symbols spray-painted on synagogues, Jewish community centers, private homes, and Jewish cemeteries.
• Physical Attacks: Reports of assaults and harassment targeting visibly Jewish individuals, including students wearing kippahs or women wearing Star of David necklaces.
• Online Harassment: Jewish individuals and organizations being targeted with online abuse, including threats of violence and hateful messages.
• Anti-Israel, Hamas-Sympathizing Rallies: Violent and virulent anti-Israel protests featuring antisemitic slogans and imagery, with participants calling for violence against Jewish people everywhere and death to America,[5] denying Israel’s right to exist, and even physically and verbally assaulting pro-Israel opponents.[6]

One of the greatest challenges to overcoming antisemitism is its mutation and adaptation. While some traditional antisemitic tropes like those related to Jewish control of finance or media persist, antisemitism has also adapted to contemporary issues and concerns. For example, it is common now to target Jewish people through anti-Zionism, the opposition to the existence of the State of Israel. This can involve denying Israel’s right to exist, demonizing its policies, or holding Jewish people collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

The internet and social media have also created immense new challenges in combating antisemitism. These platforms provide a space to spread deplorable antisemitic messages quickly and widely, often with anonymity and impunity. The viral nature of online content can amplify the reach of antisemitic ideas, making it difficult to contain their spread.

A New Head to the Monster of Antisemitism

After October 7, 2023, global antisemitism grew a new beastly head and took on new shape. Here are a few antisemitic terms, tropes, and themes that have pervaded anti-Israel protests, especially since Hamas prompted its brutal, unprovoked war on Israel in October 2023. These trends make life more dangerous for Jewish people in America and around the world.

1. “From the river to the sea”

This chant is antisemitic because it rejects Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.  It implies not only Palestinian control but the removal of Jewish people from the entire territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, denying Jewish self-determination. “This saying is a historic call-to-arms for terrorist groups and their sympathizers, from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to Hamas.”[7] Hamas believes the Jewish people do not have the right to a national home in their ancestral homeland (i.e. that the State of Israel should not exist).

Make no mistake, “this terrorist organization is dedicated to the murder of all Jews in Israel—a goal spelled out in its charter: the end to the Jewish state and the creation of an Islamic state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”[8] As stated in the Hamas Charter, Hamas is devoted to waging jihad, or holy war, in order “to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.” Its stated goal is to eliminate the Jewish state and kill Jewish people. That is precisely what it has set out to do, and has been doing, in its present savage campaign of mass slaughter.”[9] To join in this chant is to sign your name on Hamas’ charter.

2. Holocaust denial/distortion

Holocaust denial falsely claims that Jewish people fabricated or exaggerated the Holocaust, despite overwhelming historical evidence. It includes rejecting Anne Frank’s diary, Hitler’s genocidal intent, gas chambers, and the murder of six million Jewish people. Holocaust distortion, including equating Israeli leaders to Hitler or calling Israeli policies a “second Holocaust,” is factually incorrect and antisemitic. These comparisons insult Holocaust survivors and misrepresent the Holocaust’s historical impact. Some pro-Palestinian protestors waved Nazi swastikas and signs at Times Square just one day after Hamas brutally murdered 1,300 Israelis.[10]

3. Holding Jewish people collectively responsible for the actions of the State of Israel

Following the Hamas attack and subsequent war, several antisemitic incidents occurred. A kosher restaurant in London was vandalized and robbed, with nearby graffiti reading “Free Palestine.”[11] Jewish students at William & Mary were verbally assaulted due to the war in Israel,[12] and three Salt Lake City synagogues were evacuated due to a bomb threat during pro-Palestinian rallies.[13] In Tunisia, a synagogue was burned and destroyed.[14] These actions are antisemitic because they target Jewish people and institutions, holding them collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government. This fuels antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jewish people controlling the world, reminiscent of the fabricated “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” This forged pamphlet, which first appeared in early twentieth-century Russia, accused Jewish people of plotting to take over the world.

The October 7 attacks and the subsequent surge in antisemitism made Jewish people everywhere feel less safe and more vulnerable, with many expressing concerns about their future in their respective countries. One powerful way to oppose this satanic evil and help Jewish people at this time is through prayer. Pray for Jewish people and ask your church or congregation to pray corporately. As Matthew wrote in 21:22, “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” The Lord hears our prayers, especially the ones that are aligned to His heart.