Reader's letter

The massacre of October 7, 2023, and the war that followed represented a watershed moment for the State of Israel and the Jewish people. It would be natural to expect the world to show solidarity with Israel after the deadliest terrorist attack in its history and the largest massacre of Jews since World War II. Instead, what was seen was an explosion of antisemitism in many cities of the Western world, even before Israel launched its military response against Hamas and began efforts to rescue the hostages taken to Gaza. Everywhere, protests and demonstrations erupted against Israel, justifying, celebrating, or seeking to rationalize the brutal attack and those responsible.

What at first seemed like just a momentary wave of hatred against Israel has revealed a resurgence of antisemitism on a scale not seen since the end of World War II.^a World War II. In the decades following the Holocaust, it was believed that violent antisemitism had been relegated to the past and had become socially unacceptable in democratic societies. October 7th and everything that followed shattered that illusion.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), antisemitic incidents in the United States increased by 361% in the three months following the start of the war. A 2025 survey by the same institution revealed that one-third of American Jews were victims of antisemitic episodes during the previous year, while more than half of them began to conceal their Jewish identity out of fear. This phenomenon is not limited to the United States. In Canada, Jews represent about 1% of the population, but are the target of 72% of hate crimes recorded in the country. In France – home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the world – successive waves of violent antisemitism have profoundly shaken Jewish community life. In the United Kingdom, a series of antisemitic attacks similarly generated fear and insecurity among the country's Jews. And these were not the only countries where antisemitism manifested itself openly.

It is clear, therefore, that the Holocaust did not eradicate antisemitism, it only temporarily discredited it. What is most alarming is the scope and speed with which it has re-emerged – as if it had been latent for decades, awaiting only a catalyst to make it acceptable again.

Equally revealing was the collapse of the idea that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are distinct phenomena. This claim became untenable after the events that followed October 7th: many of those protesting against Israel targeted Jewish people – not Israeli citizens. Terrorist organizations advocating the destruction of Israel came, in certain circles, to be treated as legitimate “resistance” movements. Classic themes of anti-Semitism – conspiracy theories, demonization, and the attribution of collective guilt to Jews – promptly resurfaced under the guise of anti-Zionism.

History never repeats itself exactly: today's world is not Europe in the 1930s. Even so, the Jewish historical experience sends warning signs. Antisemitism rarely begins with open violence, but with rhetoric, false narratives, intellectual legitimization of hatred, and the silence – or indifference – of society. And it often goes beyond rhetoric and transforms into violence.

But Jewish history is not only made up of persecution; it is also a story of resilience, continuity, and faith. We are witnessing the most intense wave of antisemitism since the 2nd century.^a World War II, but we are not in the 1930s. The Jewish people now possess a sovereign and strong state, capable of defending its citizens and serving as a refuge for Jews from all over the world. Unlike past generations, we Jews are no longer defenseless.

But we must indeed seek strength in the extraordinary perseverance of the generations that survived forms of hatred far more intense than those of today, preserving, throughout the millennia, our alliance with God, with the Torah, and with our Jewish identity. The resurgence of antisemitism reminds us that the oldest hatred in history has not disappeared. But it also serves as confirmation of the importance of Jewish unity and the central role of the State of Israel in the lives of us, Jews throughout the world. The explosion of antisemitism that we are witnessing today reinforces the need for us to have a strong and independent country in our ancestral homeland and to remain united.

Throughout history, the enemies of the Jewish people have repeatedly predicted our demise. History itself has already given them the answer, confirming the Divine promise that the People of Israel are an eternal nation.