Published in a report by the Combat Antisemitism Movement’s (CAM) Antisemitism Research Center (CAR) on antisemitic trends in February, among the 359 global antisemitic incidents in the month, only 20% occurred at universities, highlighting that most antisemitic incidents occur off the campus.
The number of antisemitic incidents increased by 124% from the daily average of 12.4 incidents in February 2023.
The incidents were broken down into categories, including 55 incidents of classical antisemitism, 15.3% of the total, 20 incidents of Holocaust distortion and minimization, 5.6% of the total, 17 incidents in the Islamist category, 4.7% of the total, and 25 incidents that were unattributable. There were 242 Israel-related antisemitism, 67.4% of the total number of incidents.
There were 35 physical threats against Jews reported, as well as 58 incidents of antisemitic vandalism.
According to the report, four locations adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, including South Dakota in the US, Goias in Brazil, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Wroclaw, Poland.
In 2023, there was a 58.2% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to 2022, with 3,46 incidents recorded globally in 2023, according to the Antisemitism Research Center.
Political affiliations of incidents
Of the 2023 incidents, 1,019 were affiliated with the far left, and 1,021 were affiliated with the far right. Each ideological group contributed 33.5% to the total monitored incidents, a first-ever occurrence.
The report highlighted antisemitic incidents in the UK, which hit a record in 2023, at 4,103 incidents recorded by the Community Security Trust (CST). The CST also recorded 182 university-related antisemitic incidents in 2023, an increase from 60 in 2022. According to the CST, there was at least one antisemitic incident in every police region in the UK for the first time.
Denmark recorded the highest number of antisemitic incidents since the October 7 attacks since the Second World War. Antisemitic incidents in Denmark totaled 121, including 20 death threats, primarily online. Jews in Denmark were advised not to wear Jewish symbols openly. Danish Jewish community leader Henri Goldstein commented, “We have seen the biggest antisemitic wave in Denmark since 1943.”
The week before this report was released, a US congressional roundtable was held, which hosted nine Jewish students from several different institutions, including Harvard, MIT, and other prestigious universities.
The students at the round table discussed their experiences with antisemitism on campus and said that they feel unsafe on campus, but their complaints of antisemitism were waved away by university administrations, according to a New York Times report.