After deadliest year in decades for Diaspora Jews, task force warns hate is ‘our new normal

Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.

Some 23,000 antisemitic incidents were recorded in 2025 in the seven largest Diaspora communities around the world, about 14 percent less than in 2024, according to a new report . However, the antisemitic attacks last year included the murder of 20 people, making it the deadliest year for Diaspora Jewry in more than 30 years, according to J7 Task Force, an organization representing major Jewish communities across seven nations.

The countries covered in the report — Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the United States — comprise over 90% of global Jewry outside of Israel. J7, which was founded in July 2023 to combat rising antisemitism, reported the total number of antisemitic incidents was up 136% in these countries — including a 97% rise in violent incidents — compared to 2022, the year before Hamas launched its devastating invasion of Israel that sparked the Gaza war.

“Antisemitism in our seven countries is no longer a surge; it is our new normal," the organization said in a statement. "Governments must stop reacting after Jews are attacked and start acting before, with real security funding, stronger laws and social media platforms that enforce their own rules.”

Fifteen Jews were murdered at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, two were killed at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, two were killed at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC , and one was killed in Boulder, Colorado .

The figure was the highest since 1994, when 85 people — including 67 Jews — were killed in the AMIA bombing in Argentina .

"No country can fight antisemitism alone, and this report shows exactly why," said Anti-Defamation League CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt, whose organization helped found the J7 Task Force. "This isn't just an American crisis; every single J7 country remains dramatically above pre-October 7 levels. Antisemitism transcends borders, and our response must do so too."

Last year, the number of antisemitic incidents rose 5% in the UK, 4% in Argentina, and about 1% in Germany compared to 2024, J7 said. The numbers decreased by 33% in the US, 20% in Australia, 16% in Canada and 16% in France, even as antisemitism became the "new normal," it added.

Germany documented 8,725 incidents in 2025, marking a 215% spike over five years. That represented the highest per-capita rate in the world, with nearly 70 incidents per 1,000 Jewish residents, as attacks by both far-right groups and far-left anti-imperialist networks surged. Researchers also flagged an accelerating erosion of Holocaust memory and awareness, particularly among younger demographics.

In the United States , 6,274 incidents were recorded in 2025, an average of 17 per day. Though the total number of recorded incidents fell 33% from 2024 as anti-Israel university campus encampments petered out, the number of violent incidents actually rose 4% to 203 during the year, the ADL has said.

The United Kingdom logged 3,700 incidents in 2025, a 64% increase over five years, according to data from the Community Security Trust. At a rate of 12 incidents per 1,000 Jews, that was one of the highest per-capita rates in Europe, J7 said.

Australia recorded 1,654 incidents in 2025, culminating in the horrific Bondi Beach attack, according to data from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. That represented a 270% surge over five years, the largest increase of any of the seven nations surveyed.

In France , antisemitic incidents remained at a "persistently high level," the report said, with 1,320 recorded acts, or more than 3.5 antisemitic incidents per day. The hostile climate has led many French Jews to conceal signs of their identity and question their long-term future in the country, the report said.

In Canada , 788 antisemitic incidents were recorded, as Jewish residents were targeted in the vast majority of reported religious hate crimes, despite representing less than 1% of the national population, according to J7. Anti-Jewish hate crime in the country has increased 153% since 2020, the report noted.

In Argentina , 713 incidents were documented in 2025, 4% more than in 2024, the report said. Some 62% of all incidents occurred online.

Ireland saw a surge in attacks between July 2025 and January 2026. During the period, 143 incidents were reported for the 2,200-person Jewish community, a rate of 65 incidents per 1,000 Jews. Despite the stark numbers, Ireland has yet to develop a meaningful governmental response, with no dedicated policy framework, national strategy or dedicated security funding for Jewish institutions currently in place, the task force said.

"In many comparable countries, these are recognized public responsibilities," the report noted. "In Ireland, they continue to rely largely on the efforts of one of Europe’s smallest Jewish communities."

The J7 Task Force called on national governments to not only throw money at security initiatives but also focus on aggressively prosecuting extremist networks, protecting civic rights at university campuses and workplaces and enforcing compliance with the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism .

Additionally, it called on social media platforms and AI developers to fix their algorithms so they stop allowing the spread of anti-Jewish conspiracies, doxxing or generation of hateful content. Finally, the report said, schools should rethink how they teach history and push back against online misinformation, especially as Holocaust education fades among younger people.

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