Survey: 82% of Europeans don’t consider fighting antisemitism a priority
Poll by the European Jewish Association finds that more than 20% blame Jews in their own countries for the war between Israel and Hamas

Antisemitic sentiments are rising throughout Europe, inflamed by Israel’s war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza, but many on the continent don’t seem to care. A whopping 82 percent of Europeans do not view the fight against antisemitism as a policy priority, according to a survey published Tuesday by the European Jewish Association (EJA).

The poll of 4,400 people across six countries — France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium — found that more than 20% openly blame Jews in their own countries for the war between Israel and Hamas happening thousands of miles away. The survey, conducted by Ipsos and migration expert Juan Soto, was presented Monday night at EJA’s Annual Conference in Madrid.

The findings show that “anti-Zionism and antisemitism are two sides of the same coin,” EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin said. “Europe has imported hatred, adding it to the hate that already existed. Most political leaders, university presidents, and European media are still avoiding this conversation. And the longer they avoid it, the more normalized antisemitism becomes, and the worse it becomes for European Jewry.”

Antisemitism has skyrocketed around the world since Hamas launched its shock assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. The number of antisemitic incidents peaked right after the October 7 attack, and remains at levels significantly higher than before the assault, according to a recent study by Tel Aviv University.

The EJA survey found that antisemitic messages have become normalized for young people, with more than one in four (28%) Europeans aged 18–24 saying they had participated in or witnessed antisemitic remarks presented as anti-Israel commentary. The workplace was the most common setting for antisemitic remarks, the survey noted.

Some 65% of Europeans say that the war in the Middle East has impacted how Jews are viewed in their own countries, with 55% saying it has worsened their perceptions. About half of respondents said that the way the media portrays the conflict harms Jewish communities in Europe, the report said.

Despite the severity of the issue, only 18% of Europeans said fighting antisemitism should be prioritized in national policy, the report found. However, when the question was reframed as a question of civil safety, support more than doubled to 40%.

Of the six countries surveyed, the UK was found to be the most supportive of the Jewish community, while Belgians and Spaniards are the most hostile to Jews, the report found.

The EJA called for governments, institutions, and universities to adopt and enforce the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, toughen penalties for hate crimes, crack down on incitement across media and social platforms, and ensure robust protection for Jewish communities.

“The rise in antisemitism is tearing at the moral fabric of Europe,” Margolin said. “Jewish communities are the first to suffer, but history shows they are never the last. Europe must act now: protect its Jews or witness the collapse of the values it claims to stand for. “