Global antisemitic violence reaches highest level in decades, Tel Aviv University report finds
Tel Aviv University has reported a sharp rise in violent antisemitic attacks worldwide, with 2025 recording the highest number of Jewish deaths from such incidents in more than 30 years.
The university’s annual “Antisemitism Worldwide” report, found that 20 Jews were murdered in four separate attacks during the year, marking a significant escalation in severe violence amid the ongoing fallout from the Gaza war.
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While overall incident figures vary by country, the report found a consistent pattern across the West: levels of antisemitism remain dramatically higher than before October 7, 2023, with physical assaults such as beatings and stone-throwing increasing in many locations.
Professor Uriya Shavit, the report’s editor-in-chief, warned that the data points to a troubling shift.
“The data raise concern that a high level of antisemitic incidents is becoming a normalised reality,” he said. “The steep increase in the number of cases of severe violence is not surprising. The rule that applies to all types of crime applies here as well: when law-enforcement authorities are indifferent to small crimes, the result is big crimes.”
In Australia, the findings are particularly stark. The total number of incidents rose from 1,727 in 2024 to 1,750 in 2025, compared with 1,200 in 2023 and 472 in 2022. The figures include the Bondi Beach Chanukah attack near Sydney, in which 15 Jews were murdered, one of the deadliest antisemitic attacks in Australian history.
The report also notes a worrying trend following the end of the Gaza war, with incidents rising rather than falling. Between October and December 2025, Australia recorded 588 incidents, up from 492 during the same period in 2024.
Similar patterns were recorded internationally. Canada saw incidents climb from 6,219 to 6,800, more than triple the 2022 figure. In Britain, incidents rose slightly to 3,700 in 2025, though still below the 2023 peak, while post-war figures surged sharply late in the year.
France and Germany recorded declines in overall incidents, but both saw increases or only marginal decreases in cases involving physical violence. Belgium reported a rise in both total incidents and assaults.
In the United States, figures were mixed. New York recorded a slight drop overall, but incidents increased again after the war ended, while Chicago saw a fall in total incidents but a rise in violent cases.
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The report draws on data from law enforcement agencies, Jewish organisations and field research across multiple countries and is widely regarded as one of the most authoritative global assessments of antisemitism.
A major study included in the report sheds light on the profile of perpetrators. According to Dr Carl Yonker, many attackers act alone and do not belong to organised groups.
“They come mainly from two entirely different political extremes – white Christians devoted to ‘white supremacy’ on the one hand, and anti-Zionist Muslims on the other,” he said. “The attackers represent a wide variety of ages, geographical areas, and ethnic backgrounds.”
The report also includes strong criticism of the Israeli government’s handling of the global fight against antisemitism, arguing that it has failed to take effective action and, at times, undermined efforts through the overuse of the term.
Its authors recommend shutting down Israel’s ministry for combating antisemitism and shifting responsibility to embassies and consulates to work more closely with local communities and authorities.
Professor Irwin Cotler, a former Canadian justice minister, said the scale of the problem is unprecedented.
“We are witnessing not only an unprecedented global explosion in incidents of antisemitism since audits began in the 1970s, but most disturbingly, an unprecedented explosion of hate crimes targeting Jews,” he said.
The report concludes that while the surge in antisemitism immediately after October 7 showed signs of easing, the persistence of high levels of violence into 2025 suggests a deeper and more entrenched problem.
The full report is available via Tel Aviv University.
