Europe Survey: Many Jews in the EU are afraid

Fear of openly professing their religion. Hatred that can be felt again and again. Jews in Europe are very insecure. According to the survey, Germany is no exception when it comes to anti-Semitism.

According to a survey, many Jews in the EU hide their identity out of concern for their safety. One in three respondents even avoid Jewish events or places because they do not feel safe, according to the study by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in Vienna.

Overall, 80 percent of the Jews surveyed believe that anti-Semitism has increased in their country over the past five years.

Hate comments on the internet played a significant role in this. 37 percent of respondents stated that they had been harassed because of their Jewish identity, mostly on the streets, in parks or in stores.

The survey of around 8,000 Jews in 13 EU countries was conducted in the first half of 2023, i.e. before the massacre by terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war.

Compared to two previous surveys on the same topic in 2013 and 2018, the survey showed that a large number of Jews continue to experience anti-Semitism on the internet and in real life.

FRA head: "Wave of anti-Semitism"

"Europe is experiencing a wave of anti-Semitism, partly fueled by the conflict in the Middle East," said FRA Director Sirpa Rautio. In an increasingly polarized society, it is important to spread the message of tolerance and ensure respect for fundamental rights.

Since the Gaza war, the number of anti-Jewish incidents has risen once again. "Some organizations report an increase of over 400 percent," the FRA said, citing recent research.

According to the available data, Germany is not deviating from the negative trend either. According to the survey, 80 percent of respondents refrained from wearing Jewish symbols in public at least occasionally.

Nine percent said that they had been attacked in the past five years - one of the highest rates in the survey. 51 percent had toyed with the idea of emigrating from Germany because of anti-Semitism. This is also a comparatively high proportion. A total of around 171,000 Jews live in Germany.

The EU Fundamental Rights Agency called for the implementation of the partially existing action plans against anti-Semitism. This applies not least to combating anti-Jewish comments on the Internet. In order to allay the fears of those affected, it is necessary to invest more in the protection of Jewish citizens.

SDA