European survey: Jewish citizens feel anti-Semitism is on the rise

'Almost 1.5 million people applied for asylum in Germany between the beginning of 2014 and July 2017. [...] Most applicants come from Syria (34 %) [...]

In a [...] qualitative study, 25 refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq were asked about their attitudes toward Jews; the authors of the study detected a type of “routine anti-Zionism”, “which holds Israel responsible for all the negative developments in the region,” as well as a routine antisemitism, constituted by negative attitudes toward Jews that are seen as a matter of course.¹ Themajority of respondents in this study expressed antisemitic views, [...].'

(See webpage for citations.)

Extract source:
“Attitudes of Syrian and Iraqi Refugees in Germany toward Jews”.
From the book “Volume 5 Confronting Antisemitism in Modern Media, the Legal and Political Worlds” by Günther Jikeli.
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110671964-015/html

'The [Syrian refugee] population consists mainly of refugees from the Syrian Civil War, who arrived during the 2015 European migrant crisis.[6] In 2018, Germany granted 72% of Syrian refugees protection for the right to work without any setbacks or restrictions.[7] [...]

The number of people with an immigration background from Syria, including those with German citizenship, was estimated at around 1,281,000 in 2023.[1] Additionally, the population with Syrian citizenship residing in Germany is 972,460 in 2023,[3] making it the second-largest group of foreign nationals living in the country.[4] Notably, Germany boasts by far the largest Syrian diaspora outside of the Middle East.[5]

Significant Syrian communities exist in Berlin, especially in the district of Neukölln and in the Ruhr-Area.'

(See webpage for citations.)

Extract source:
“Syrians in Germany”, Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrians_in_Germany

The Discussion dates from November 2013, but if Jewish people felt then, that anti-Semitism was increasing, the position is now considerably worse.

Jews in Europe still face high levels of antisemitism
Antisemitism persists in the EU, affecting Jews both online and offline. Concerns over safety and frequent experiences of harassment force many to conceal their Jewish identity. These alarming insights come from the latest survey by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). The EU and some of its Member States have put in place measures and action plans to tackle antisemitism. EU countries need to build on these efforts to ensure Jews can live their lives with dignity, free from hate and fear. This is especially important given the impact that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has had on Jewish communities in Europe.

FRA’s third survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU reveals their experiences and perceptions of antisemitism, and shows the obstacles they face in living an openly Jewish life.

The survey pre-dates the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s military response in Gaza. But the report includes information about antisemitism collected from 12 Jewish community organisations more recently. Jewish people have experienced more antisemitic incidents since October 2023, with some organisations reporting an increase of more than 400%.

The survey results point to:

• Rising antisemitism: 80% of respondents feel that antisemitism has grown in their country in the five years before the survey.

• High levels of antisemitism online: 90% of respondents encountered antisemitism online in the year before the survey.

• Antisemitism in the public sphere: in the year before the survey, 56% of respondents encountered offline antisemitism from people they know and 51% in the media.

• Harassment: 37% say they were harassed because they are Jewish in the year before the survey. Most of them experienced harassment multiple times. Antisemitic harassment and violence mostly take place in streets, parks, or shops.

• Safety and security concerns: Most respondents continue to worry for their own (53%) and their family’s (60%) safety and security. Over the years, FRA research has shown that antisemitism tends to increase in times of tension in the Middle East. In this survey, 75% feel that people hold them responsible for the Israeli government’s actions because they are Jewish.

• Hidden lives: 76% hide their Jewish identity at least occasionally and 34% avoid Jewish events or sites because they do not feel safe. As a reaction to online antisemitism, 24% avoid posting content that would identify them as Jewish, 23% say that they limited their participation in online discussions, and 16% reduced their use of certain platforms, websites or services.


The EU and its Member States have put in place measures against antisemitism, which have led to some progress. These include the EU’s first ever strategy on combating antisemitism and action plans in some EU countries. The report suggests concrete ways for building on that progress:

• Monitoring and adequately funding antisemitism strategies and action plans: This includes adopting plans in those EU countries which do not have them and developing indicators to monitor progress.

• Securing the safety and security of Jewish communities: Countries need to invest more in protecting Jewish people, working closely with the affected communities.

• Tackling antisemitism online: Online platforms need to address and remove antisemitic content online, to adhere tothe EU’s Digital Services Act. They also need to better investigate and prosecute illegal antisemitic content online.

The survey covers Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden where around 96% of the EU’s estimated Jewish population live. Almost 8,000 Jews aged 16 or over took part in the online survey from January to June 2023. This is the third survey of its kind, following those of 2013 and 2018.

• Encouraging reporting and improving recording of antisemitism: National authorities should step up efforts to raise rights awareness among Jews, encourage them to report antisemitic incidents and improve the recording of such incidents. Greater use of third-party and anonymous reporting could help.