Some 25% of Israeli Jews questioned for a survey reported that they have experienced antisemitism abroad (outside of Israel) and 36% reported that they avoid traveling abroad for fear of being identified as Jews, according to a recent report from the World Zionist Organization (WZO).

The Israeli Geocartography Institute conducted the research which was spearheaded by Prof. Avi Dagani and Dr. Rina Dagani via the internet. They polled men and women over the age of 18 who constitute a representative sample of Jewish Israeli society within a margin of error of 4.4%, according to the WZO. The survey was conducted ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2023.

The study also determined that nearly half of the Israeli public is afraid to wear outward symbols of Judaism in public abroad. When asked about specific countries in which they felt particularly unsafe, 62% of respondents listed Turkey as the most dangerous, followed surprisingly by France. Turkey has become much more antisemitic than in previous generations as it has moved away from its ties to the West. Also on the list although much lower down were Germany, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Antisemitism in Western Europe seems to have increased again for three reasons. First, the surge of migration from the Middle East due to the crisis in Syria that flooded Western Europe over the last ten years has dramatically increased the Islamic population in this region. Second, the rise of secularism in Western Europe has turned many against traditional Western beliefs, including Judaism and Christianity. Finally, with the rise of replacement theology, even many Christian circles that remain in Europe have a very negative view of the Jewish people.  

The WZO’s Raheli Baratz-Rix, Head of the Department for Combatting Antisemitism and Enhancing Resilience, said: “As 2022 comes to an end, the Department for Combatting Antisemitism and Enhancing Resilience is constantly monitoring the trends and processes of antisemitism around the world, with Israeli society and Diaspora Jewry at the core of who are affected by these processes. At this time, when antisemitism is everywhere, we must not turn a blind eye to ...the lives of our brothers in the Diaspora. Therefore, it is our role as a country to bear the burden and act to eradicate antisemitism worldwide through outreach and awareness along with the efforts of security forces.”

WZO chairman, Yaakov Hagoel, added: “The responsibility for the safety and security of our Jewish brothers in the Diaspora rests with the local governments in each and every country. We should not take lightly the antisemitic events that are now taking place all over the world - phenomena of this type have a...dangerous end. The State of Israel is a strong moral and ethical country that will continue to work to ensure the safety and security of all Jews wherever they choose to live.”

Biblical Connection: During the time of the Tribulation, the Antichrist and the False Prophet, empowered by Satan, will persecute the Jewish people (Revelation 12-13). After the tragedy of the Holocaust, there was much sentiment for the Jewish people in Western Europe and America, leading some people to doubt whether it would be possible for the kind of hate of the Holocaust to ever be brought against the Jews again.

However, we are rapidly seeing the Jewish people once again come under intense hatred in many circles around the globe. This type of hatred and persecution could possibly be laying down the foundation for the type of future hatred that will allow the Antichrist to put a target on the back of the Jewish people and attempt to erase them from existence once more.

PRAY: Pray for the Jews who are under attack for the simple reason of their ethnicity and religious beliefs.