In Paris, London, Berlin and beyond, an undercurrent of antisemitism that had long simmered, erupted in broad daylight. In the weeks and months following October 7th, the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, the Jewish communities of France and across Europe awoke to a new troubling reality. The number of antisemitic acts in France exploded: over 1,000 were recorded in just the weeks after October 7th, and by year’s end the total soared to 1,676, four times the 2022 figure. Now this surge in violence and intimidation only tells part of the story. Deeper shifts are at play, in the ways politics shirk responsibility, and in the way many French Jews now feel under threat and more isolated than ever, in a republic committed to liberté, égalité, fraternité. Delano D’Souza is pleased to welcome Simone Rodan‑Benzaquen, Director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Paris, who describes that moment of rupture: “It’s as if on Oct 7th, the underlying antisemitism that was lurking beneath the surface exploded.” It is a story of how hatred transcends borders, how silence becomes complicity, and how democratic societies fail their communities when words are not followed by deeds.
This story originally appeared on France24
Globalisation of antisemitism: Hatred once lurking beneath surface now shapes troubling new reality
