Ian Explains
Ian Explains: Why antisemitism is increasing around the world
Ian Explains: Why antisemitism is increasing around the world | GZERO World
August 18, 2023
Antisemitism is as old as civilization. An ancient Greek historian in the second century BCE railed against the “ridiculous practices” of the Jews and the “absurdity of their law.” And Shakespeare’s Shylock once asked, “If you prick us, do we not bleed?” But lately, it feels like this particularly ugly trend is back in fashion. And the numbers back that up, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World.
The anti-defamation league found 3,700 instances of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, or assault around the country last year alone, the highest number in 43 years. The FBI has also marked an uptick in hate crimes, with nearly two-thirds of all hate crimes targeting Jews.
Remember the sight of watching torch-bearing white supremacists marching on Charlottesville in 2017’s Unite the Right Rally? Then on October 27, 2018, a gunman killed 11 worshippers in Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, in the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history. And in January of 2022, a British citizen radicalized by Islamic extremists walked into a Texas synagogue and took a Rabbi and several others hostage, though fortunately, the congregants managed to escape unharmed.
So how did we get here? Or has America always had this ugly undercurrent of hate bubbling beneath its surface, waiting for the right moment—movement—to erupt? It’s a painful question to face, but if we want to avoid the next Tree of Life tragedy, we have no choice.
Watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
From Your Site Articles
- Remembering the Holocaust on very different days ›
- Israel’s political crisis, explained ›
- Is this Marine Le Pen’s moment? ›
- Graphic Truth: Anti-Semitism in the US and Europe ›
- When do campus protests cross the line into hate speech? ›
- Antisemitism is more prevalent than ever, warns activist Noa Tishby - GZERO Media ›
More For You
Armoured vehicles of the El Salvador Army operate separately from the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force (GSF), after additional troops were deployed following an October 18 ambush in which four Salvadoran GSF personnel went missing, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, November 3, 2026.
REUTERS/Patrice Noel
Over the past two weeks, President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele has sent around 2,000 troops to Haiti to rescue four Salvadoran nationals working in Haiti who were kidnapped by gangs. But the self-proclaimed “world’s coolest dictator” may have bigger ambitions.
Most Popular
Supporters react after media outlets projected Democratic US Senate candidate and Texas State Representative James Talarico's victory in the US midterm elections in Austin, Texas, US, November 3, 2026.
REUTERS/Mike Segar
In the end, the long-predicted “blue wave” turned into a tsunami as the Democrats, harnessing widespread frustrations over high living costs, opposition to the war in Iran, and misgivings about Trump’s deportation policies, swept back to power on Capitol Hill.
Last night’s wins were not only pivotal, but also broke multiple glass ceilings in American politics.
Election posters of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) and other political parties are displayed on street poles ahead of South Africa's municipal elections on November 4, in Pretoria, South Africa, October 29, 2026.
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
The elections are widely seen as a referendum on the African National Congress (ANC), the party that has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid, amid frustration over pervasive corruption, crumbling public services, and rising migration.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.