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By: Fern Sidman
In a development that has deeply unsettled Jewish communities and civil society leaders across continents, a newly compiled dataset released by The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has revealed a stark and troubling escalation in antisemitic incidents worldwide. The findings, gathered during the solemn observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, underscore a grim paradox: even as millions pause to honor the victims of history’s most catastrophic campaign of hatred, echoes of that same anti-Jewish animus are manifesting with renewed intensity in the present.
According to the Antisemitism Research Center, an analytical arm of CAM, a total of 183 antisemitic incidents were recorded over the course of the commemorative week. This figure represents a dramatic 37 percent increase above the average weekly tally of 134 incidents observed thus far in 2026. The data, drawn from a wide spectrum of geographic and social contexts, paints a portrait of a phenomenon that is neither localized nor incidental, but rather systemic and expanding.
The symbolic weight of the timing has not gone unnoticed. Holocaust Remembrance Day serves as a global moment of reflection, intended to preserve the memory of six million Jews murdered in a systematic attempt to eradicate an entire people. Yet, as CAM’s report suggests, the ideals of remembrance and vigilance are being tested by a contemporary resurgence of hostility that bears unsettling resemblance to historical antecedents.
Among the most disturbing incidents documented was a violent attack in London, where two suspects were apprehended following the attempted firebombing of a synagogue in the Finchley district. The attack, which targeted a place of worship and communal gathering, occurred against the backdrop of a broader pattern of antisemitic aggression in the city. Only weeks earlier, four Jewish ambulances had been set ablaze in the Golders Green neighborhood, an act that compounded fears within the local community and signaled a willingness among perpetrators to target both religious and humanitarian institutions.
The reverberations of such acts have extended beyond the United Kingdom. CAM’s monitoring has identified a series of related incidents across Europe, suggesting a contagion of hostility that transcends national boundaries. In Belgium and the Netherlands, for example, authorities have reported attacks on Jewish property and public spaces, many of which appear to have been catalyzed by geopolitical tensions linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran and its regional proxies.
In Poland, the report highlights a particularly egregious episode within the country’s own legislative chamber. A far-right parliamentarian, Konrad Berkowicz, delivered a speech in which he displayed an Israeli flag grotesquely altered to include a Nazi symbol in place of its central emblem. His accompanying rhetoric, which likened Israel to the regime responsible for the Holocaust, has been widely condemned as a flagrant distortion of historical truth and a pernicious form of what scholars describe as “Holocaust inversion.” Such acts, CAM notes, not only trivialize the suffering of Holocaust victims but also weaponize their memory in service of contemporary political agendas.
Elsewhere in Europe, similar patterns of symbolic manipulation have emerged. In Amsterdam, a public installation repurposed imagery associated with the Holocaust to characterize modern geopolitical conflicts in terms that many observers have deemed inflammatory and misleading. The use of such imagery in this context has raised profound ethical concerns, particularly given its potential to blur the line between legitimate political discourse and the perpetuation of deeply ingrained prejudices.
In southern Spain, the atmosphere took on an even more incendiary character. In the town of El Burgo, near Malaga, an effigy representing Israel’s prime minister was detonated in a public spectacle that drew enthusiastic applause from onlookers. The act, which combined elements of theatricality and aggression, has been interpreted by CAM as emblematic of a broader trend in which antisemitic sentiment is increasingly normalized within public demonstrations.
Further east, the data reveals incidents of a more clandestine but equally alarming nature. In North Macedonia, a synagogue in the capital city of Skopje was targeted in what authorities believe to be the first antisemitic attack of its kind in the country since the end of the Second World War. Meanwhile, in Azerbaijan, security services successfully disrupted a plot attributed to Iranian operatives that aimed to strike multiple Jewish and Israeli-linked targets, including a synagogue, an embassy, and critical energy infrastructure. In Syria, reports have emerged of a thwarted attempt by a terrorist group to assassinate a rabbi in Damascus, underscoring the persistent vulnerability of Jewish figures even in regions where such communities are relatively small.
The United States has not been immune to these developments. CAM’s report indicates that all twenty antisemitic incidents recorded on university campuses during the week occurred within American institutions. Among these was a threat that forced a lockdown at a Jewish student center near the University of Oregon, highlighting the extent to which antisemitism has penetrated spaces traditionally associated with intellectual inquiry and open dialogue. The concentration of incidents within academic settings has prompted renewed calls for universities to reassess their policies and practices in addressing hate speech and ensuring the safety of their students.
In response to these escalating concerns, CAM has emphasized the importance of coordinated international action. The organization’s leadership has argued that the current moment demands not only vigilance but also a proactive commitment to countering antisemitism in all its forms. This includes both the overt acts of violence that capture headlines and the more insidious expressions of bias that can permeate public discourse and institutional culture.
One such initiative is already on the horizon. Municipal leaders from across Australia are scheduled to convene in Bondi Beach later this year for a summit dedicated to combating antisemitism at the local government level. The gathering, organized in collaboration with CAM, will coincide with the anniversary of a devastating attack on the Jewish community in the same area. By bringing together officials from diverse jurisdictions, the summit aims to foster a shared understanding of the challenges at hand and to develop strategies for addressing them in a coordinated and effective manner.
As the world grapples with the implications of CAM’s findings, the broader significance of the report becomes increasingly clear. The resurgence of antisemitism is not merely a matter of isolated incidents but a reflection of deeper societal currents that demand careful examination. It raises fundamental questions about the resilience of democratic values, the integrity of historical memory, and the capacity of institutions to respond to emerging threats.
In this context, Holocaust Remembrance Day takes on an added dimension of urgency. It is not only a time to honor the past but also a call to action in the present. The lessons of history, painstakingly preserved through decades of education and commemoration, must now be applied with renewed determination to confront the challenges of our time.
The data presented by The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) serves as both a warning and a mandate. It compels societies to look beyond the ceremonial aspects of remembrance and to engage in the difficult work of addressing the conditions that allow hatred to flourish. For as long as antisemitism persists, the promise of “never again” remains unfulfilled—a solemn pledge that demands not only words, but action.
By: Fern Sidman
In a development that has deeply unsettled Jewish communities and civil society leaders across continents, a newly compiled dataset released by The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has revealed a stark and troubling escalation in antisemitic incidents worldwide. The findings, gathered during the solemn observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, underscore a grim paradox: even as millions pause to honor the victims of history’s most catastrophic campaign of hatred, echoes of that same anti-Jewish animus are manifesting with renewed intensity in the present.
According to the Antisemitism Research Center, an analytical arm of CAM, a total of 183 antisemitic incidents were recorded over the course of the commemorative week. This figure represents a dramatic 37 percent increase above the average weekly tally of 134 incidents observed thus far in 2026. The data, drawn from a wide spectrum of geographic and social contexts, paints a portrait of a phenomenon that is neither localized nor incidental, but rather systemic and expanding.
The symbolic weight of the timing has not gone unnoticed. Holocaust Remembrance Day serves as a global moment of reflection, intended to preserve the memory of six million Jews murdered in a systematic attempt to eradicate an entire people. Yet, as CAM’s report suggests, the ideals of remembrance and vigilance are being tested by a contemporary resurgence of hostility that bears unsettling resemblance to historical antecedents.
Among the most disturbing incidents documented was a violent attack in London, where two suspects were apprehended following the attempted firebombing of a synagogue in the Finchley district. The attack, which targeted a place of worship and communal gathering, occurred against the backdrop of a broader pattern of antisemitic aggression in the city. Only weeks earlier, four Jewish ambulances had been set ablaze in the Golders Green neighborhood, an act that compounded fears within the local community and signaled a willingness among perpetrators to target both religious and humanitarian institutions.
The reverberations of such acts have extended beyond the United Kingdom. CAM’s monitoring has identified a series of related incidents across Europe, suggesting a contagion of hostility that transcends national boundaries. In Belgium and the Netherlands, for example, authorities have reported attacks on Jewish property and public spaces, many of which appear to have been catalyzed by geopolitical tensions linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran and its regional proxies.
In Poland, the report highlights a particularly egregious episode within the country’s own legislative chamber. A far-right parliamentarian, Konrad Berkowicz, delivered a speech in which he displayed an Israeli flag grotesquely altered to include a Nazi symbol in place of its central emblem. His accompanying rhetoric, which likened Israel to the regime responsible for the Holocaust, has been widely condemned as a flagrant distortion of historical truth and a pernicious form of what scholars describe as “Holocaust inversion.” Such acts, CAM notes, not only trivialize the suffering of Holocaust victims but also weaponize their memory in service of contemporary political agendas.
Elsewhere in Europe, similar patterns of symbolic manipulation have emerged. In Amsterdam, a public installation repurposed imagery associated with the Holocaust to characterize modern geopolitical conflicts in terms that many observers have deemed inflammatory and misleading. The use of such imagery in this context has raised profound ethical concerns, particularly given its potential to blur the line between legitimate political discourse and the perpetuation of deeply ingrained prejudices.
In southern Spain, the atmosphere took on an even more incendiary character. In the town of El Burgo, near Malaga, an effigy representing Israel’s prime minister was detonated in a public spectacle that drew enthusiastic applause from onlookers. The act, which combined elements of theatricality and aggression, has been interpreted by CAM as emblematic of a broader trend in which antisemitic sentiment is increasingly normalized within public demonstrations.
Further east, the data reveals incidents of a more clandestine but equally alarming nature. In North Macedonia, a synagogue in the capital city of Skopje was targeted in what authorities believe to be the first antisemitic attack of its kind in the country since the end of the Second World War. Meanwhile, in Azerbaijan, security services successfully disrupted a plot attributed to Iranian operatives that aimed to strike multiple Jewish and Israeli-linked targets, including a synagogue, an embassy, and critical energy infrastructure. In Syria, reports have emerged of a thwarted attempt by a terrorist group to assassinate a rabbi in Damascus, underscoring the persistent vulnerability of Jewish figures even in regions where such communities are relatively small.
The United States has not been immune to these developments. CAM’s report indicates that all twenty antisemitic incidents recorded on university campuses during the week occurred within American institutions. Among these was a threat that forced a lockdown at a Jewish student center near the University of Oregon, highlighting the extent to which antisemitism has penetrated spaces traditionally associated with intellectual inquiry and open dialogue. The concentration of incidents within academic settings has prompted renewed calls for universities to reassess their policies and practices in addressing hate speech and ensuring the safety of their students.
In response to these escalating concerns, CAM has emphasized the importance of coordinated international action. The organization’s leadership has argued that the current moment demands not only vigilance but also a proactive commitment to countering antisemitism in all its forms. This includes both the overt acts of violence that capture headlines and the more insidious expressions of bias that can permeate public discourse and institutional culture.
One such initiative is already on the horizon. Municipal leaders from across Australia are scheduled to convene in Bondi Beach later this year for a summit dedicated to combating antisemitism at the local government level. The gathering, organized in collaboration with CAM, will coincide with the anniversary of a devastating attack on the Jewish community in the same area. By bringing together officials from diverse jurisdictions, the summit aims to foster a shared understanding of the challenges at hand and to develop strategies for addressing them in a coordinated and effective manner.
As the world grapples with the implications of CAM’s findings, the broader significance of the report becomes increasingly clear. The resurgence of antisemitism is not merely a matter of isolated incidents but a reflection of deeper societal currents that demand careful examination. It raises fundamental questions about the resilience of democratic values, the integrity of historical memory, and the capacity of institutions to respond to emerging threats.
In this context, Holocaust Remembrance Day takes on an added dimension of urgency. It is not only a time to honor the past but also a call to action in the present. The lessons of history, painstakingly preserved through decades of education and commemoration, must now be applied with renewed determination to confront the challenges of our time.
The data presented by The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) serves as both a warning and a mandate. It compels societies to look beyond the ceremonial aspects of remembrance and to engage in the difficult work of addressing the conditions that allow hatred to flourish. For as long as antisemitism persists, the promise of “never again” remains unfulfilled—a solemn pledge that demands not only words, but action.
