(New York, N.Y.) – Last week, New York City saw a wave of anti-Israel protests during the United Nations General Assembly, renewing fears about the surge of antisemitism that has plagued the West since October 7. The unrest included vandalization of pro-Israel politicians’ offices—including with the red triangle Hamas uses to mark targets—and signs supporting the designated terrorist organization Hezbollah.
These are not isolated incidents. In the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing war, many countries have experienced an unprecedented increase in antisemitic speech, acts, and events both on and offline. Researchers and policy experts have since tried to count and map the extent of the incidents, but few have focused on the key actors behind them.
CEP Senior Advisor Alexander Ritzmann outlines a five-step policy recommendation for government bodies to tackle antisemitism by identifying and disrupting the activities of each country’s key antisemitic actors. Ritzmann recommends a risk-based, disruption-oriented approach, focusing government efforts and resources on those elements that represent the biggest risk to Jews in their respective countries. This involves focusing first on incidents that occurred during 7-8 October 2023, when Israel was still fighting attackers inside the country and before it had launched a counteroffensive.
Ritzmann’s five step guide includes assessing the ranking levels of risk, assessing timelines, tracking key antisemitic symbols, identifying networks and disrupting finances.
To read CEP’s new policy brief, click here.
To read CEP’s larger report on antisemitism, click here.
To read CEP’s report on antisemitism in the 21st Century, click here.
###
