The Quantum Growth of Global Antisemitism - A World on Edge
The horrific events of yesterday have sent a seismic shock through Jewish communities worldwide, with a chilling resonance here in Belgium. In Northwest London’s Golders Green, a 45-year-old man was arrested after allegedly hunting for "visibly Jewish" individuals, leaving two men—aged 34 and 76—with serious stab wounds. Simultaneously, across the Atlantic in Los Angeles, a Jewish man was brutally assaulted and nearly strangled outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Pico-Robertson[1].
For those of us in Belgium, these attacks are no longer distant headlines. They are the catalyst for a national security shift. Currently, OCAD (Orgaan voor de Coördinatie van de Analyse van het Dreigingsniveau) maintains the threat status for Jewish institutions across Belgium at Level 3 (Serious)[2], while the U.K has just theirs to the highest level of severe[3]. Nevertheless, we are witnessing what can only be described as a "quantum growth" of antisemitism—a shift that has abandoned linear patterns to become exponential in its reach, ferocity and proximity.
The European and Australian Flashpoints
While London and L.A. dominated yesterday's news cycle, the atmosphere in Belgium has reached a critical threshold. Following the recent explosions at synagogues in Liège and attempted arson in Antwerp, the Federal Crisis Centre and OCAD would do well to implement maximum security measures. The re-deployment of military personnel to protect Jewish schools, shops and places of worship in Brussels and Antwerp is an example of such measures already being employed.
However, the state’s ability to protect its citizens appears strictly limited to the physical realm. While police and military can hopefully provide a defense against stabbings and bombs, they are powerless against the rising tide of cultural exclusion.
We witnessed this last September in Ghent, where the celebrated Israeli conductor Lahav Shani saw his performances cancelled[4]. These cancellations, often framed as security concerns or "political sensitivities" effectively bar Jewish and Israeli artists from European stages. It is a soft form of erasure that mirrors the 1930s, when Jewish intellectuals and artists were systematically purged from the civic and cultural life of the Continent long before the physical violence reached its peak.
This pattern is mirrored in Australia. A "Concert for Hope and Unity" intended to benefit the families of the Bondi Beach massacre victims was abruptly cancelled this week. The Australian Hellenic Choir voted to refuse to perform alongside the Sydney Jewish Choral Society[5]. The choir members reportedly cited "political objections" to singing with Jews, even as the planned program featured The Ballad of Mauthausen—a piece written to honour the shared tragedy of Greek and Jewish prisoners in Nazi camps.
This highlights a terrifying dichotomy: the Jewish community is being forced behind military cordons for physical safety, while simultaneously being pushed out of the public square by cultural institutions. The Antisemitism Emergency is therefore two-fold—a failure of physical security and a systematic collapse of civic and cultural inclusion.
A Global Hybrid War
Security agencies across Europe are investigating more than just individual radicalisation. There is a growing, chilling body of evidence suggesting that these attacks are part of a "hybrid war" orchestrated by foreign proxies designed to destabilise Western social cohesion.
A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) has claimed responsibility for the London stabbings, as well as the recent targeted violence in Belgium and the Netherlands. Security experts at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) warn that such groups may serve as "flags of convenience" for state-sponsored actors, specifically linked to Iranian influence, seeking to export Middle Eastern tensions directly onto European, American and Australian streets[6].
The Normalisation of Violence
The data from early 2026 is staggering. Tel Aviv University’s latest Antisemitism Worldwide Report[7] highlights that physical violence against Jews has reached its highest level in over three decades.
In our major hubs:
● Belgium & The Netherlands: With the OCAD assessment of Level 3, the Benelux region is still considered one of the highest-risk zones for high-intensity incidents, following explosive attacks in Liège, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
● Australia: Still reeling from the Bondi Beach massacre, the Jewish community now faces "cultural erasure," as evidenced by the choir boycott in Sydney.
● The United Kingdom: Recorded over 3,700 incidents in the last year, with physical assaults becoming a weekly occurrence according to the Community Security Trust[8].
● The United States: The Pico-Robertson assault in L.A. serves as a reminder that the ocean provides no protection against this globalised hatred, a trend documented by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)[9].
The Necessity of a Robust Response
The reactive nature of current security measures is insufficient to counter a quantum threat. A robust global response must transition from defensive posture to structural reform.
Ideally, nations would attempt to move beyond temporary military deployments and toward a unified security and cultural framework. Central to this must be the appointment of a high-level National Coordinator or Envoy, a person in charge with the specific authority and resources to combat Jewish hatred across all sectors—security, education and culture. This figure would serve as a bridge between intelligence agencies like OCAD and cultural institutions, ensuring that "security concerns" are never again used as a pretext for cultural exclusion.
Furthermore, a robust response would treat antisemitic disinformation not as random “free” speech, but as a weapon of state-sponsored hybrid warfare. Dismantling the digital networks that fuel proxy-war rhetoric is as vital as guarding the synagogue gates.
Beyond Condemnation
The refrain from Jewish leaders has shifted from concern to an outcry for survival. "Words of condemnation are no longer enough," stated UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, a sentiment echoed by community leaders in Brussels and Jerusalem. The world is witnessing a normalisation of Jew-hatred that current security frameworks are struggling to contain.
The acceleration of Jew-hatred must be stopped dead in its tracks lest the tracks, once again, lead to senseless death on Western soil. It is a hatred fuelled by a perfect storm of digital disinformation, geopolitical proxy wars and a thinning of the civilisational veneer that once made "never again" a promise.
Yesterday’s blood on the streets of Golders Green and the military presence now appearing on the streets of Antwerp and Brussels serve as a final warning. The emergency is here and the global response must be as robust as the threat is pervasive.
Image credits: Levi Meir Clancy via Unsplash
[1]1https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/man-attacked-pico-robertson-hate-crime-investigation/3883561/
[4] https://www.belganewsagency.eu/ghent-festival-cancels-concert-led-by-israeli-conductor-lahav-shani
