Argentina sees a 44% increase in reported anti-Semitic incidents in 2023, most of them after October 7

BUENOS AIRES – Argentina saw a 44% increase in reported anti-Semitic incidents in 2023, mainly following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to a report released Monday by the country's Jewish umbrella organization.

The report makes Argentina the latest country to see a rise in anti-Semitism following the attack and subsequent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. the United States, Germany And elsewhere in Europe have all seen a sharp increase.

According to DAIA, which presented the report in the Buenos Aires City Parliament, 57% of all anti-Semitic incidents last year occurred in the three months following the attack.

In addition, the organization noted that Israel has risen sharply as a source of anti-Semitic incidents. In 2022, about 11% of anti-Semitic incidents in Argentina related to Israel. Last year, the figure was 40%.

And the number of anti-Semitic incidents that occurred in person has also increased. (Most of the incidents recorded by DAIA took place online.) In the nine months before the October 7 attack, 72 in-person incidents were recorded. In the three months after, there were 150.

Among the personal incidents recorded by DAIA his report were the word “Hamas” and a crossed-out Star of David painted on a student’s desk and a building with a sign hanging on it with the text: “Zionists out of Palestine. This did not start on July 10th. Hitler did not manage it.”

Before October 7, the recording of an “Anne Frank” hamburger and “Adolf” fries; the restaurant changed the names of its dishes after members of the Jewish community, including DAIA, criticized the menu for trivializing the Holocaust.

Marisa Braylan, author of the report and director of DAIA's Center for Social Studies, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the census reflects the sad reality facing Argentine Jews since October 7.

“The attack did not elicit sympathy for the victims. There was silence, there were justifications and, in the worst cases, admiration,” she said. “On October 7, latent anti-Semitism was exposed.”