JERUSALEM (JTA) — A new wave of anti-Semitism is expected due to Israel’s operation in Gaza and the global financial crisis.
The expected surge in anti-Semitism for 2009 was predicted in a report released Sunday by the Coordination Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism, the official Israeli forum against anti-Semitism. The forum is sponsored by the Jewish Agency, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs.
The 250 anti-Semitic attacks reported throughout the world during the three weeks of Israel’s military operation in Gaza represented a more than 300 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Most of the attacks have been concentrated in western Europe and were led by Muslims, according to the report.
The rise in incidents comes after a year that showed a 15 percent decline in anti-Semitic incidents throughout the world as compared to the previous year.
Many of this month’s incidents compared Israeli actions in Gaza to Nazis during the Holocaust.
The annual report is released in the days leading up to International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is on Tuesday.
