By Howard Flower, ICEJ Aliyah Director

Global antisemitism has significantly increased since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th. As a result, some non-governmental organisations are utilizing AI tools to monitor the surge in antisemitic incidents. At the same time, CNN has reported that hate groups are also taking advantage of AI to propagate their message by producing images and audio that they can spread on the internet.

With the huge wave of antisemitism flooding the globe, the Jewish Agency for Israel has approached the ICEJ to assist in sponsoring flights for Jewish immigrants coming from the USA, France, South Africa, and Latin America.  

Our first ICEJ-sponsored flight was in May 1990 from Budapest. Since then, the ICEJ has sponsored over 25,000 flights, including full airplane charter flights, large flight groups on scheduled airlines and even individual families and single Olim, most with generous extra baggage and airport transfers, as well as accommodations along the way as needed. Including these actual flights, the ICEJ has assisted a total of over 185,000 Jews in making Aliyah to Israel, including transport to airports and other pre-flight expenses, plus immediate absorption needs.

According to Israel Hayom: “Since the start of the war until the first week of January, a total of 4,783 new immigrants have made Aliyah to Israel, most of them from Russia, the US, Ukraine, and France”.  Recently, the largest surges of new Aliyah applications are being received from North America and France.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which tracks antisemitism, reported 3,283 antisemitic incidents between October 7 and January 7, just in the USA alone. These incidents included 60 physical assaults, 553 instances of vandalism, and a substantial number of verbal or written harassment cases. This is more than 1,000 recorded cases each month. These incidents were diverse and widespread, affecting various settings. College campuses experienced 505 incidents, and there were 246 incidents in K-12 schools. Jewish institutions like synagogues and community centers also reported numerous cases. Specific events included online threats, vandalism with anti-Israel and pro-Palestine graffiti, and antisemitic slurs at public events.

These incidents have raised serious concerns about the safety and well-being of the Jewish community in the United States. The ADL has emphasised the unprecedented level of threat facing the American Jewish community and highlighted the need for vigilance and response to these acts of hate.

As reported by Israel Hayom, according to Nefesh B’Nefesh, which operates in North America, since the start of the war, some 4,200 Aliyah files have been opened with them. This is an increase of 120% compared to the same period the year prior (October to early January), and in total, since the outbreak of the war, nearly 7,000 new Aliyah files have been opened worldwide.

Meanwhile, in France, more than 1,800 antisemitism incidents were reported in 2023, and on Thursday, Israel Hayom published that since October 7th, there has been a 1,000% increase in the number of antisemitic incidents there, which, according to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration has led to a 400% increase in the number of applicants for Aliyah from France. The French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, reported more than 1,500 antisemitic acts in the country following the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7th up to January 7th. This surge in antisemitic behaviour has led to numerous arrests, with 486 individuals, including 102 foreigners, being apprehended for related offences.

In South Africa, antisemitic incidents also have shown a significant increase since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), 180 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the country from the start of 2023 to the date of the report, with 110 of these occurring after October 7. This marked a considerable rise compared to the previous year.

These incidents have not only been a source of concern for the Jewish community in South Africa but have also been linked to the broader political and social context within the country. The South African government’s stance on Israel and its relations with Palestinian groups have been a subject of debate, with implications for the Jewish community.

Furthermore, the South African government’s interactions and statements regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been scrutinised for potentially contributing to the rise in antisemitic sentiments. The government’s delay in condemning the October 7 attacks by Hamas and its interactions with groups like Hamas and Fatah have raised concerns about the impact on antisemitic rhetoric and behaviour within the country.

The legal stunt by South Africa’s ANC-ruled government to drag Israel into the International Court of Justice on the charge of genocide is so twisted and odious, and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem expresses its utter dismay at the ruling of the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Friday (26/01/24) concerning South Africa’s application under the Genocide Treaty against Israel.

The world was shocked and repulsed by the evil atrocities committed by Hamas against innocent Israelis last October 7, and the ruling by the International Court of Justice only compounds the shock and pain of that dark day. That the wide majority of justices on the Court would sit calmly at the reading of its rulings on the eve of 27 January, set aside by the international community as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, only deepens our disappointment at the world’s betrayal of the Jewish state and people. This decision inverts justice and is built on decades of the United Nations and all its forums becoming the world’s most cunning purveyors of antisemitism. These global institutions were founded with honorable intentions, including to prevent a repeat of the Nazi genocide against the Jews, yet these very forums are now placing Israel in grave danger by giving credence to these outrageous claims it is committing genocide in Gaza.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness,” warned the Hebrew prophet Isaiah (5:20). Israel is justly defending its citizens from massacres, rapes, mutilations, and torture, yet it is now rebuked by the World Court, even while Hamas and other armed Palestinian militias are let completely off the hook. Nonetheless, we trust the Lord God to keep and protect Israel as He has promised (Psalm 121:4; Jeremiah 31:10).

The urgency to assist Jewish Aliyah to Israel is evident. The ICEJ is poised to support a tsunami of Jewish immigrants who are ready to immigrate to their homeland, Israel, and escape the growing global antisemitism.

Please join your hearts with ours in supporting this enormous need for Aliyah assistance.  Please give your best gift today at: give.icej.org/aliyah