"We are deeply concerned by the dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents around the world over the past three weeks," Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (SEAS) warned in a statement early Monday morning.
Lipstadt said that governments, law enforcement agencies, and community groups spanning continents - from Europe to North America, from Australia to South Africa - have reported an alarming rise in antisemitic behavior.
She revealed that these incidents are not just restricted to hateful words but also include tangible acts of violence.
"Violent incidents throughout the world in October have included harassment of and attacks on Jewish individuals, and defacement of and attacks on Jewish sites," she detailed.
Drawing a clear line between antisemitism and global politics, Lipstadt emphatically stated that "targeting Jewish communities with hate, intimidation, or violence in relation to the conflict in the Middle East is intolerable and antisemitic - and without justification. Full stop."
She further underscored the erroneous nature of blaming global Jewish communities for regional political conflicts. "Jewish people around the world should never be held responsible for the words and actions of the Israeli or any other government," Lipstadt emphasized.We are deeply concerned by the dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents around the world over the past three weeks. Governments, law enforcement, and community groups in Europe, Latin America, Australia, South Africa, North America, Russia, and elsewhere have reported a sharp…
— Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt (@StateSEAS) October 30, 2023
"While the United States fully supports freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, we condemn antisemitic imagery and rhetoric, which can lead to violence," she affirmed, adding, "We emphasize there is no place for hatred of Jews, Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, Israelis, or anyone else."
October 7 massacre shakes Jewish communities worldwide
The news of October 7 emerging as "the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust" has shaken communities worldwide.
This somber event is a stark reminder of the longstanding history of antisemitic violence. The memories evoked by such incidents, as Lipstadt notes, bring forth "painful memories and scars left by millennia of antisemitism and the genocide of the Jewish people by the Nazis and their collaborators."
A report published on Friday unveiled a deeply troubling trend of antisemitism on university campuses across the United States: A staggering 45 reported antisemitism incidents occurred on university campuses in just three days, out of a total of 134 documented cases in the past two weeks.
The report was conducted by the Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism Ministry and Mosaic organization. According to the report, this surge in antisemitic activity has "raised grave concerns about the safety and well-being of Jewish students across American campuses. These reported incidents span a range of concerning behaviors and expressions, providing a stark illustration of the scale of the issue and its impact."
Among the most disturbing incidents reported was at Cornell University, where a lecturer categorized as "antisemitic," described the Hamas's massacre during the celebration of Simchat Torah in western Negev settlements as an "exciting event." Meanwhile, at UC Davis in California, a lecturer took to social media to call for violence against Jewish students.
At the University of Michigan, nearly 1,000 lecturers and staff members signed a document accusing Israel of atrocities attributed to the terrorist organization Hamas. This response came in reaction to the university president's condemnation of the deadly terror acts on October 7.
Antisemitic incident in Russian airport
In addition, thousands of local residents in the major Russian seaport of Makhachkala in the Russian Republic of Dagestan stormed an airport in the city in an attempt to attack any Jews and Israelis set to arrive on a "Red Wings" flight from Tel Aviv on Sunday, according to local media reports.
No Israeli casualties were reported from the incident according to the Foreign Ministry, although about 20 people have been injured and are currently receiving medical treatment according to Dagestani health officials.