Problem on the rise

4 out of 5 Jews complain about anti-Semitism in the EU

(Bild: dpa)

Anti-Semitism in everyday life is an issue that affects the vast majority of Jews in the EU, according to a recent study - a problem that existed even before Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel. In a survey conducted by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) before the event on October 7, 2023, 80 percent of respondents reported that anti-Semitism had increased in the five years prior to the survey. 

Among participants in Austria, 76 percent felt this way. For the year prior to the survey, 38% in this country reported having been the victim of anti-Semitic hostility - similar to the EU average. Five percent were also attacked that year.

One in two people publicly renounce Jewish symbols
As a result of these experiences, many people feel compelled to hide their Jewishness in public. In Austria, 29 percent of Jews never wear Jewish symbols in public due to security concerns. Among all study participants, this figure was as high as 48 percent. For 66 percent (EU: 76 percent), this was the case at least occasionally. 70 percent of respondents felt at least occasionally held responsible for the policies of the Israeli government because of their Jewishness (EU: 75 percent).

 FPA: "Dignified Jewish life severely restricted."
"Europe is experiencing a wave of anti-Semitism, fueled in part by the conflict in the Middle East," warns FRA Director Sirpa Rautio in a press release on the report. "This severely limits the possibility of a safe and dignified Jewish life."

This is the third FRA report on antisemitism. Around 8,000 Jews from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden were surveyed in the first half of 2023. According to the EU agency, 96 percent of Jews in the EU live in these 13 countries. In Austria, 363 people were surveyed. The agency estimates the Jewish population in this country at 13,650.