Surge in Antisemitic Incidents Provokes Alarm in America: Government, Citizens Respond
The rise in antisemitic incidents has prompted rigorous actions from governments, organizations, and individuals across the Americas, while Africa strengthens its ties with Israel and the Jewish community
More than a quarter of American Jews were a target of an antisemitic incident in 2022 and 38% changed their behavior out of fear of antisemitism, an American Jewish Committee survey found. Anti-Jewish perceptions are becoming more common among the American people as well. The Anti-Defamation League, in a study published in January of this year, found that 85% of Americans believe at least one anti-Jewish trope, as opposed to 61% found in 2019.
These alarming figures have caught the attention of the US government, which is demonstrating a serious commitment to addressing the issue and implementing measures aimed at reversing the trend of increasing antisemitism.
Now we need the American people to take it seriously because antisemitism may affect the Jews, but it also affects democracy at large. It starts with the Jews. It doesn’t end with the Jews; it is a danger to democracy and we’re hoping people recognize this and address it.
Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, United States special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, told The Media Line that the American government was aware of this growing trend. “We know that from the statistics, and we’re very concerned about it. The United States government is very concerned. But in response to this rise in antisemitism, the White House has just released the first national strategy ever to combat antisemitism,” she said.
Lipstadt said that while Congress was already taking the issue seriously, American citizens must join the efforts to address it as well. “Now we need the American people to take it seriously because antisemitism may affect the Jews, but it also affects democracy at large. It starts with the Jews. It doesn’t end with the Jews; it is a danger to democracy and we’re hoping people recognize this and address it,” she added.
We have antisemitism from the right—neo-Nazi cells, 500 of them, were found in Brazil—and from the left with the exaggerated criticism of Israel and its delegitimization
In Latin America, although the incidents are less violent, antisemitism exists as well. Fernando Lottenberg, commissioner to monitor and combat antisemitism at the Organization of American States (OAS), said that antisemitism in the sub-continent can come from both the extreme right and the extreme left.
“We have antisemitism from the right—neo-Nazi cells, 500 of them, were found in Brazil—and from the left with the exaggerated criticism of Israel and its delegitimization,” he told The Media Line. “So, it’s a complex issue, not so violent, as we see in other countries, but in any case, worrisome,” he added.
Lottenberg noted that online antisemitic trends are growing in Latin American countries, especially in social media. But, he says, awareness of this issue among the region’s governments is also growing.
“Governments and international organizations are gathering together to fight back and combat antisemitism, and this is something new and I think we should value it,” he said, noting that the OAS created the position of special envoys to combat antisemitism. Lottenberg also mentioned the efforts invested by local governments. He cited the example of governments putting Holocaust education into their national curricula. “Brazil has done that very recently, Argentina had done that before, and other countries,” he said.
Also, he said, various countries are adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism. “We had just in the last year, the addition of Colombia and Guatemala to a team that has Argentina, Uruguay, the United States, and Canada,” he added.
Marcos Peckel, director of the Jewish community of Colombia and a member of the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress, told The Media Line that Colombia’s government has prohibited antisemitism through legislation. “My country, Colombia, is one of the two countries on the continent where the word antisemitism appears in the criminal code, and it’s a criminal offense,” he said.
Antisemitism is a key issue for Jewish organizations around the world. Lawmakers and influential figures are taking the lead to fight it, as they see it as a threat to their democracies. While antisemitism experiences a resurgence in the West, the governments of some African countries are renewing support for Israel and building bridges with their local Jewish communities.
Most African countries remember that Israel was there by their side when there were still young, independent countries
Ambassador Sharon Bar Li, deputy director general, head of the Africa Division at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said that Israel enjoys a very good image among African countries, mainly because it is well known for being a pioneer in technology, agriculture, and water resources, among other reasons, such as religious belief.
“Most African countries remember that Israel was there by their side when they were still young, independent countries. And Israel itself was still a developing country, yet it offered technical assistance and development assistance and supported African countries in their first days of independence,” she told The Media Line.
South Africa, however, hosts the largest Jewish community in sub-Saharan Africa and it is an exception in terms of ties with Israel and levels of antisemitism. Antisemitism there is more significant and mostly connected to anti-Zionist political rhetoric.
“The African National Congress, South Africa’s governing party since the fall of apartheid in 1994, has long identified with the Palestinian cause, and its leaders have often sided with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement,” said an AJC study in 2020.
The Abraham Accords, which were signed in 2020, include two African countries, Sudan and Morocco. Bar Li believes that this is a powerful base that will boost Israel’s future relations with additional African nations.
Today, important Israeli projects are involved in developing African nations, and this is taking relations to the next level. Yosef Abramowitz, president and CEO of Gigawatt Global, has established several solar panel fields in Africa, significantly improving access to technology that is generally lacking on the continent.
“We took the Israeli model, and we’ve brought it to Africa, where there are 600 million people without power, there are 300 million people burning expensive and polluting diesel, and the population is going to double,” he told The Media Line.
He explained that there were no utility-scale solar fields in sub-Saharan Africa before and that he and his company established several of these in cooperation with local partners. “We did the first one on the continent in Rwanda, supplying 6% of the power, and we just inaugurated a field in Burundi, one of the least developed countries in the world. We are supplying 10% of the country’s power, and 100% of their capital Gitega’s daytime power,” he added.
In most African countries, it’s the opposite of antisemitism; it’s philo-Semitism
Abramowitz says his company is currently working with 10 African countries, and that another 10 are seeking cooperation. “Most of the 10 new countries that want to work with us don’t have formal diplomatic relations [with Israel],” he adds.
Abramowitz says that, based on his experience, antisemitism is not a significant problem in most African nations, especially in the sub-Sahara. “In most African countries,” he said, “it’s the opposite of antisemitism; it’s philo-Semitism. The Christians there, they actually know their Bible and they believe it. There’s admiration for the State of Israel,” he said.
Serge Nawej Tshitembu, a business lawyer and investor in the mining industry in Africa, and especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, argues that antisemitism is a Western concept that is not native to Africa. “As far as I’m concerned, I have never met any African or black people around me, in Africa being antisemitic. I’ve never,” he told The Media Line.
