Antisemitism

Antisemitism is defined as hostility and prejudice toward Jews as well as taking discriminatory action towards Jewish people. Some consider antisemitism to be a form of racism.

The word antisemitism finds its roots in the German word antisemitisch, first used in 1860 by Austrian Jewish scholar Moritz Steinschneider, in his work regarding false ideas of "Semitic races" in comparison to "Aryan races." However, the discriminatory ideas and actions towards Jews have existed since long before the term was coined.

Early incidents of antisemitism and anti-Jewish persecution include the Edict of Expulsion from England in 1290, the persecution of Jews across Europe during the Black Death from 2348 - 1351, and the Spanish Inquisition and expulsion from Spain in 1492.

The 20th century saw both the Holocaust, the genocide of European Jews, and the expulsion of Jews from countries across the Middle East, leading to the displacement of approximately 850,000 Mizrahi Jews.

In recent years both Europe and the US have seen a steady increase in antisemitic incidents, and 90% of Jews in the European Union have said that they feel this is a serious problem.

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Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, 1948-2020.

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A giant portrait of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab who was killed in Gaza in 2024, is unfurled on Barceloneta Beach in the second anniversary of her death and after a film about her death received an Oscar nomination, in Barcelona, Spain January 29, 2026.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Miri Regev meet with members of parliament fom Hungary, Austria, Spain, and France. January 25, 2026.

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Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli.

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Pro-Palestinian supporters stand on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, in November 2025.

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An illustrative silhouette of a rifle over a background of the Hamas flag.

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People march in the street during a protest against increased immigration enforcement, after Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot in Minneapolis by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, in Seattle, Washington, US January 11, 2026.

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Sample of Tami Ellison’s figure-ground visual illusion photography.

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Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli.

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A demonstrator holds a placard in support of Palestinians during a march on the International Day of Solidarity, in Dublin last year.

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PORTRAIT OF Aaron Sapiro, the Jewish lawyer who sued Henry Ford.