Global Antisemitism Surges: ADL’s First J7 Report Exposes Alarming Trends

As the world gears up to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has dropped a sobering first-of-its-kind J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism, exposing a sharp global surge in hatred toward Jewish communities. The report zooms in on nations with significant Jewish populations outside Israel—think the U.S., U.K., Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, and Australia—and the numbers are grim.

Since 2021, antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed: a jaw-dropping 227% spike in the U.S., 185% in France, 83% in Canada, 82% in the U.K., 75% in Germany, 23% in Argentina, and 11% in Australia. The ADL’s J7 Task Force, launched in July 2023, paints a picture of rising violence, venomous online rhetoric, and growing fear among Jews. In Germany, for instance, 2023 saw over 38 antisemitic incidents per 1,000 Jewish residents. Down Under, Australia’s per-capita incidents quadrupled from 2023 to 2024.

The timing of the report is no coincidence. Hamas’ October 2023 attacks on Israel acted like gasoline on a fire, igniting a wave of antisemitic acts globally. In Argentina, the Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA) notes that Jewish students are now picking schools based on safety from antisemitic harassment—both from peers and professors. Social media and academia have become hotbeds for this poison, with a 44% jump in incidents in 2023 alone. Yet, there’s a silver lining: 60% of Argentinians, especially younger folks, view Israel favorably, possibly due to shared scars from Hezbollah’s deadly 1990s bombings in Buenos Aires.

Australia’s Jewish community is reeling from a 316% surge in incidents from October 2023 to September 2024, per the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. That’s 2,062 cases compared to 495 the prior year. A survey found 64% of Australian Jews see antisemitism as a massive problem—ten times higher than in 2017. New laws banning hate symbols like swastikas are a start, but they’re not enough to tackle the root causes fueling this hatred.

In Canada, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs reports that Jews, just 1% of the population, accounted for 19% of hate crimes in 2023. The community feels increasingly unsafe, with 98% of Canadian Jews calling antisemitism a serious issue. France is no better—antisemitic incidents in schools quadrupled to 1,670 in the 2023-2024 academic year, with violent acts like the assault of a 12-year-old Jewish girl tied to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Germany’s Zentralrat der Juden warns that the October 2023 attacks accelerated an already brewing storm, with 3,200 antisemitic crimes recorded in 2024 alone. The rise of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party, with its anti-Jewish policies, isn’t helping. In the U.K., while incidents dipped slightly in 2024, they’re still above pre-October 2023 levels, leaving 25% of British Jews feeling unsafe amid torn-down hostage posters and weekly hate marches.

The U.S. isn’t spared either. The ADL’s 2024 audit logged 9,354 incidents, a 5% rise from 2023 and a staggering 926% increase since 1979. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt calls it an ‘irrational hatred’ unlike anything seen in decades. From online vitriol to physical attacks, the global Jewish community is under siege, and the ADL’s report is a loud call for action—because silence isn’t an option.