"We woke up with a sense of dread." That is how Samuel Lejoyeux, a Jewish student in France, described this weekend. Jewish communities across the world fear a hike in antisemiticHostile to or prejudiced against Jewish people.  violence as Israel goes to war with HamasA militant Palestinian organisation, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. It is listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.. 

The threat is not imagined. In the last few days, a KosherIn Hebrew, kosher means "proper". It refers to food that follows Jewish dietary rules. shop in the Jewish community of Golders Green in London was vandalised. Meanwhile, the world's richest man, Elon Musk, chimed in by recommending an X account that has posted antisemitic tweets to his 100 million followers.

Western governments have responded by stepping up security around synagogues and other community sites. But for many this is little reassurance at a time when the rise of antisemitism can seem unstoppable.

It is referred to as the "world's oldest hatred" with good reason. There is evidence of antisemitism going back as far as the Seleucid EmpireAn ancient empire that once covered large parts of west Asia, from 312 to 64BC. . Jews were also persecuted by the Romans, who destroyed JerusalemAn ancient city that is considered holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. in 70 AD.

It was in the Middle AgesThe Middle Ages was the period in European history that came between ancient and modern times. It lasted from about 500 to about 1500. that antisemitism reached boiling point. Whenever a new crusade began, anti-Jewish riots would break out, and at times entire communities would be massacred. In 1096, 12,000 Jews were murdered in the RhinelandAn area of western Germany along the river Rhine. .

So-called "blood libels", conspiracy theories about Jewish people murdering Christian children to carry out black magic, also developed at this time. And when the Black Death struck, Jewish people were held responsible and many were tortured to death.

Finally, between 1190 and 1493, Jewish people were expelled entirely from many western European countries. They would not be allowed back to England until 1656.

In the 19th Century, Jews were given equal rights in many countries. But this progress was shortlived. People began to mutter that Jewish influences were poisoning European cultures. This set the scene for the horrors of the HolocaustThe murder of six million Jewish people in Europe by Nazi Germany. Members of other minority groups were also killed. in the 20th Century.

With such deep roots, it is no wonder many people are pessimistic about the possibility that antisemitism will ever be eradicated.

Fully 85% of Americans believe at least one anti-Jewish trope, while one in four Europeans will state outright that they hold antisemitic views.¹ Almost a quarter of American Jews have personally received an antisemitic remark.²

If anything, the trend seems to be towards greater antisemitism. Last year saw the most antisemitic incidents in the USA since records began in 1979.³ Neo-NazisPeople belonging to a political organisation whose beliefs are inspired by or reminiscent of Nazism. are on the rise across the western world.

This is no coincidence, experts say. When people feel anxious about the future they often turn to conspiracies to explain why things are going wrong. And because of the long history of antisemitism, most conspiracy theories have antisemitic elements.

The far right is good at exploiting this fact even in places without the same long history of antisemitism. In India, the ruling BJPThe Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People's Party) is the ruling political party of India, led by Narendra Modi. It follows a right-wing Hindu nationalist ideology. party has recently started using western right-wing conspiracies against Jewish philanthropist George Soros, accusing him of controlling the Indian opposition.

But others are hopeful. They say European governments are seeking to atone for their pasts. The UN-sponsored Holocaust Memorial Day is observed in 39 countries.

They say we cannot expect antisemitism to go away on its own, but if we keep fighting against prejudice, we can vanquish it.

Yes: Our culture is full of antisemitic tropes and this poisons people's minds. But most people are not hateful by instinct. If we work to identify and root out antisemitic views we can make change.

No: Antisemitism is simply too deeply rooted in our society. It bubbles up whenever people feel under pressure. Things are getting worse, not better.

Or... The issue of antisemitism has unavoidably become embroiled in Israeli and Palestinian geopolitics. That has made the task of identifying it, and then combatting it, much murkier.