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Antisemitism in New Zealand is the manifestation of hostility, prejudice or discrimination against the New Zealand Jewish people or Judaism as a religious, ethnic or racial group. This form of racism has affected Jews since New Zealand's Jewish community was established in the 19th century.
According to the New Zealand Jewish Council, "Overt acts of antisemitism have been largely absent in New Zealand, but not entirely." [1]
Although Julius Vogel became the country's first Jewish premier in 1873, immigration policy instituted in 1881 curtailed Jewish immigration. [2] Immigration was effectively closed to cultures deemed too foreign (a category which also included eastern European Jews) and that were of non-British origin. [3] Some have attributed this attitude to New Zealand's geographic isolation at the time, to fear of economic competition, to the dilution of a perceived "white" culture. [4] [5] [6]
Antisemitism and discrimination increased during the Second World War, with Jews excluded from professions and immigration. [1] The immigration policy continued to favour migrants of British-origin while excluding Jews and Asians. [7] 1100 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution were given refuge in New Zealand, while thousands of other Jewish applicants were rejected. [7] The refugees that entered before and after the war encountered prejudice from a mostly homogeneous non-Maori New Zealand society. [7] The trade union movement in the country was ambivalent towards Jewish refugees, with the New Zealand Federation of Labour preferring non-Jewish victims of fascism. [7] Some local academics and the Christchurch Refugees Emergency Committee supported Jewish immigration. [7] Christian churches in New Zealand were mostly ambivalent towards the settlement of Jewish refugees, with only the Religious Society of Friends attempting to influence government immigration policy and then assisting the refugees that were permitted entry. [7] After the war, the government mostly rejected immigration applications from foreign relatives of New Zealand Jewry and those of the newly arrived refugees. [7] This was in contrast to Australian policy that stressed its humanitarian obligations. [7]
In 1977, the New Zealand Jewish community was targeted by a leaflet drop in the Auckland suburb of Remuera. The National Socialist Party of New Zealand was responsible for producing and disseminating 9000 copies of the pamphlet. It contained images of Jesus Christ, Adolf Hitler and it condemned Judaism, likening Jews to the devil. Colin King-Ansell, leader of the party, was convicted, leading to New Zealand's first ever conviction for hate speech. [8]
In 1990, a woman with a history of psychiatric illness, reportedly screamed anti-semitic epithets before carrying out a knife attack on four Jewish children. [9] [10] Two months earlier, in an apparent copycat attack of the desecration of Jewish graves in Carpentras, Jewish graves were desecrated in Dunedin. [9]
In 2004, scores of Jewish graves, including 1840’s settler Solomon Levy’s, were smashed and spray painted with swastikas and other anti-semitic messages at Wellington. [11] The New Zealand Parliament responded rapidly to condemn the actions. [12] A 2007 book, Worlds Apart by Jewish academics Colin Tatz, Peter Arnold and Gillian Heller arrived at the "reasonable conclusion" upon studying evidence that in New Zealand there is “chronic, endemic anti-Semitism in the academe and its intellectual world.” [13]
In 2012, a Jewish cemetery in Auckland was desecrated overnight with swastikas and anti-semitic statements scrawled across the grave stones. More than 20 graves were attacked at the Karangahape Road cemetery. [14] The perpetrator, a young Englishman on holiday in New Zealand, was convicted and ordered to leave the country. [15] In 2015, Jewish graves were again desecrated in Dunedin, with two broken and another vandalised with a swastika. [16]
In 2022, the New Zealand Jewish Council (NZJC) published a major survey of antisemitism in New Zealand, focusing attention on several areas of concern. [17] The survey found concerning levels of antisemitic sentiment, with various forms of antisemitism identified, including classical antisemitism, right-wing and nationalistic antisemitism, jihad-inspired antisemitism, and left-wing antisemitism (Zionophobia). [18]
Despite negative views, the study suggested a high level of warmth toward Jews in New Zealand, with a surprising 32% stating they knew a Jewish person. [19] However, Holocaust knowledge remains a concern, as only 42% could correctly identify the number of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust. The survey emphasizes the importance of Holocaust education in New Zealand. [20]
See, Antisemitism during the Israel–Hamas war
According to the local human rights group, Humanity Matters, over half of Jews in New Zealand reported in 2022 that they had encountered antisemitic misinformation or disinformation online that was either directly related to Israel or to anti-Zionism during the previous 12 months. [21]
The 2023 Hamas terrorist attack and subsequent Israeli counterstrike saw a rise in antisemitic sentiment in New Zealand as well, with Jewish community members and experts warning of real-life repercussions. [22] [23] Following safety concerns from the New Zealand Police, Jewish-affiliated institutions such as the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand as well as schools and synagogues were temporarily closed for fear of attacks. [24] Jewish people in New Zealand reported a sudden uptick of anti-Semitic slurs, threats of violence, and calls for the boycott of Jewish businesses. [25] In November 2023, a statue of Dove-Myer Robinson, a former Jewish mayor of Auckand, was defaced with a swastika following a protest for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. [26]
On October 14, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, lit up in white and blue in a gesture of solidarity with Israel, drew over 100 pro-Palestinian protestors, who disabled the lighting installation, though accounts vary as to whether the lights were covered or damaged. [27] The protest was followed by condemnation of the museum's perceived support of the war in Gaza, which led to an official apology by the institution being issued, though the apology itself was condemned by Jewish organizations as "shameful" and a "betrayal" of the NZ Jewish community. [27] [28] On November 7, pro-Palestinian graffiti was sprayed on the fence of the Beth Shalom centre in Auckland's Epsom suburb. An unsuccessful attempt was also made to set the property on fire. Google Maps had mistakenly listed the property as the local Israeli consulate. Behind the vandalised fence is a building that was until recently home to Habonim Dror Aotearoa New Zealand, a Socialist-Zionist youth movement. [29] The incident was condemned by ACT Party Member of Parliament David Seymour, who reported the matter to Police. [30]
The Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick drew criticism for her public usage of the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free". The NZJC responded that "There is one very important question that was not put to Chlöe, and is not put to anybody who uses that phrase: do you believe that Israel should exist, do you believe in a two-state solution? I'd like somebody who uses that chant to actually answer that question." [31] In an ongoing study conducted by the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, half of Jewish parents surveyed, revealed that their children had been subject to antisemitism since the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. [32]
The NZJC had criticized the "notable silence" of political leaders and demanding of them to confront the rising anti-Semitic sentiment in the country. [33] [34] Some political leaders were further called out for perceived inflammatory language, with the NZJC claiming that "this directly incites antisemitic behaviour and we call on all leaders to consider their words carefully". [35] For instance, Indigenous rights party Te Pāti Māori immediately likened Israeli retaliatory action to genocide and called for the expulsion of the Israeli and US ambassadors. [36] Anti-Israeli rhetoric further escalated during a parliamentary debate and Question Time on a proposed call for an immediate ceasefire introduced by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters: Israel's actions were labeled as genocide by Labour’s associate foreign affairs spokesman Damien O’Connor, Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. [37] The NZJC subsequently released a statement expressing their dismay at the language used at the debate. [38]
The history of Jews in Sweden can be traced from the 17th century, when their presence is verified in the baptism records of the Stockholm Cathedral. Several Jewish families were baptised into the Lutheran Church, a requirement for permission to settle in Sweden. In 1681, for example, 28 members of the families of Israel Mandel and Moses Jacob were baptised in the Stockholm German Church in the presence of King Charles XI of Sweden, the dowager queen Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, and several other high state officials.
Antisemitic tropes, also known as antisemitic canards or antisemitic libels, are "sensational reports, misrepresentations or fabrications" about Jews as an ethnicity or Judaism as a religion.
Historians continue to study and debate the extent of antisemitism in American history and how American antisemitism has similarities and distinctions with its European counterpart. Following World War II and the Holocaust, antisemitic sentiment declined in the United States, though typically sixty-percent of incidents categorized as hate crimes by the FBI target Jews.
Antisemitism has long existed in the United States. Most Jewish community relations agencies in the United States draw distinctions between antisemitism, which is measured in terms of attitudes and behaviors, and the security and status of American Jews, which are both measured by the occurrence of specific incidents. FBI data shows that in every year since 1991, Jews were the most frequent victims of religiously motivated hate crimes. The number of hate crimes against Jews may be underreported, as in the case for many other targeted groups.
Antisemitic incidents escalated worldwide in frequency and intensity during the Gaza War, and were widely considered to be a wave of reprisal attacks in response to the conflict.
Antisemitism in Canada is the manifestation of hostility, prejudice or discrimination against the Canadian Jewish people or Judaism as a religious, ethnic or racial group. This form of racism has affected Jews since Canada's Jewish community was established in the 18th century.
Racism in the Palestinian territories encompasses all forms and manifestations of racism experienced in the Palestinian Territories, of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, irrespective of the religion, colour, creed, or ethnic origin of the perpetrator and victim, or their citizenship, residency, or visitor status. It may refer to Jewish settler attitudes regarding Palestinians as well as Palestinian attitudes to Jews and the settlement enterprise undertaken in their name.
Criticism of Israel is a subject of journalistic and scholarly commentary and research within the scope of international relations theory, expressed in terms of political science. Israel has faced international criticism since its establishment in 1948 relating to a variety of issues, many of which are centered around human rights violations in its occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Antisemitism in France has become heightened since the late 20th century and into the 21st century. In the early 21st century, most Jews in France, like most Muslims in France, are of North African origin. France has the largest population of Jews in the diaspora after the United States—an estimated 500,000–600,000 persons. Paris has the highest population, followed by Marseilles, which has 70,000 Jews. Expressions of antisemitism were seen to rise during the Six-Day War of 1967 and the French anti-Zionist campaign of the 1970s and 1980s. Following the electoral successes achieved by the extreme right-wing National Front and an increasing denial of the Holocaust among some persons in the 1990s, surveys showed an increase in stereotypical antisemitic beliefs among the general French population.
Since World War II, antisemitic prejudice in Italy has seldom taken on aggressive forms.
British Jews have experienced antisemitism - discrimination and persecution as Jews - since a Jewish community was first established in England in 1070. They experienced a series of massacres in the Medieval period, which culminated in their expulsion from England in 1290.
Antisemitism in Greece manifests itself in religious, political and media discourse. The 2009–2018 Greek government-debt crisis has facilitated the rise of far right groups in Greece, most notably the formerly obscure Golden Dawn.
Evidence for the presence of Jewish communities in the geographical area today covered by Austria can be traced back to the 12th century. In 1848 Jews were granted civil rights and the right to establish an autonomous religious community, but full citizenship rights were given only in 1867. In an atmosphere of economic, religious and social freedom, the Jewish population grew from 6,000 in 1860 to almost 185,000 in 1938. In March 1938, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany and thousands of Austrians and Austrian Jews who opposed Nazi rule were sent to concentration camps. Of the 65,000 Viennese Jews deported to concentration camps, only about 2,000 survived, while around 800 survived World War II in hiding.
Antisemitism in Australia is the manifestation of hostility, prejudice or discrimination against the Australian Jewish people or Judaism as a religious, ethnic or racial group. This form of racism has affected Jews since Australia's Jewish community was established in the 18th century. There are a number of organisations that track antisemitic activities, including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, that publish an annual list of all reported antisemitic activities. According to the Anti-Defamation League's 2014 Global100 survey, an estimated 14% of Australians harbour antisemitic views. Antisemitism in Australia is perpetrated by a variety of groups, and it has manifested in the publication of antisemitic publications, in efforts to prevent Jewish immigration, and in attacks on Australian Jews and their religious and communal institutions.
Belgium is a European country with a Jewish population of approximately 35,000 out of a total population of about 11.4 million. It is among the countries experiencing an increase in both antisemitic attitudes and in physical attacks on Jews.
Antisemitism is a growing problem in 21st-century Germany.
The New Zealand Jewish Council (NZJC) is a Jewish communal organisation in New Zealand. Aided by regional Jewish councils, it was established in 1981 to respond to antisemitism in New Zealand and misinformation. The Council also monitors and responds to the New Zealand government's foreign policy and attitudes towards the State of Israel and the Middle East. It acts as the representative body of Jewish communities in New Zealand, therefore representing 10,000 Jews across the country. It is an affiliate of the World Jewish Congress.
Antisemitism in the People's Republic of China is a mostly 21st century phenomenon and is complicated by the fact that there is little ground for antisemitism in China in historical sources. In the 2020s, antisemitic conspiracy theories in China began to spread and intensify. Some Chinese people believe in antisemitic tropes that Jews secretly rule the world.
Following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war, there has been a surge of antisemitism around the world. Israeli Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer has stated that Israel is bracing to expect a large wave of Jews migrating to Israel due to the rising antisemitism around the world.
Antisemitism on social media can manifest in various forms such as emojis, GIFs, memes, comments, and reactions to content. Studies have categorized antisemitic discourse into different types: hate speech, calls for violence, dehumanization, conspiracy theories and Holocaust denial.