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Swastikas on the wall of a former synagogue in Strasbourg
Photo: VINCENT KESSLER / REUTERS
During the corona crisis, anti-Semitic physical violence decreased worldwide, but on the other hand there is increased hatred of Jews on the Internet.
This is the result of the Tel Aviv University anti-Semitism report.
Accusations of Jews as allegedly responsible for the corona pandemic had accumulated on social networks, it said.
The number of physical violent anti-Semitic incidents fell from 456 in 2019 to 371 in 2020. The researchers explain this development by the fact that the lockdowns in many countries have resulted in fewer encounters between Jews and violent anti-Semites.
At the same time there was an increase in desecrations of synagogues (from 53 to 63) as well as of cemeteries, Holocaust memorials and other Jewish monuments (from 77 to 96).
These were closed during lockdowns and were often not guarded.
"In addition, new phenomena have developed on the Internet, such as zoom bombing (attacks on video switches) and incidents in the Darknet that are difficult to quantify," said the university's announcement.
Dina Porat from the Kantor Center for Research into Contemporary European Jewry said that the past year was particularly tense and restless because of the global corona crisis.
"Prejudices, superstitions, primal fears and bizarre theories have surfaced, and the manifestations of anti-Semitism, both verbally and visually, were malicious and outrageous." The main motive was the accusation of Jews and Israelis as the originators and spreaders of the coronavirus.
Vaccination opponents also often compared corona restrictions and lockdowns with the crimes of Nazi Germany.
bbr / dpa