The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) has voiced profound alarm over a dramatic increase in antisemitism in Greece, linking this surge to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran and Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
In a statement released on Thursday, KIS highlighted a disturbing pattern of vandalism and aggressive rhetoric targeting Jewish individuals and sites throughout the country.
The KIS statement detailed several recent acts of desecration, including the Holocaust Monument in Larissa, the Memorial to the Old Jewish Cemetery at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, and antisemitic graffiti found at the Jewish cemetery in Volos.
These acts of vandalism are occurring amidst a climate of extreme rhetoric, which the KIS states has escalated into “crude violence.” This includes physical attacks on tourists, verbal assaults, and the continuous targeting of individuals who are branded as “murderers” simply because of their national or religious identity.
The KIS emphasized a crucial distinction: “criticism of the government of Israel, no matter how severe, does not constitute antisemitic behavior.” However, the organization strongly condemned the widespread, historically inaccurate, and blanket characterizations of Israeli citizens as “murderers,” “Nazis,” and “unwelcome in Greece.”
KIS labeled this as “vulgar and unacceptable hate-filled rhetoric” that not only threatens the safety and well-being of Greek Jewish citizens but also endangers Jewish visitors to the country.
In response to this escalating threat, KIS has urgently called upon Greek authorities to publicly denounce these incidents and to implement all necessary measures to protect both Greek Jews and Jewish visitors.
The organization stressed the critical need to send a “clear message of zero tolerance against the rising tide of Judeophobia,” warning that such prejudice “unquestionably leads to antisemitism.” The statement concluded with a stark reminder from history: “antisemitism may begin by targeting the Jews, but it never ends with the Jews.”
The heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly the ongoing Israel-Iran confrontation and the Israeli attacks in Gaza, appear to be fueling a concerning rise in antisemitic sentiment and incidents in Greece, prompting serious concerns from the Jewish community about their safety and security.
Nearly half of all people worldwide hold elevated levels of antisemitic views, according to the latest Global 100 survey conducted by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and coordinated with Ipsos and other research partners.
The survey found that 46 percent of the world’s adult population—an estimated 2.2 billion people—harbor deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes, more than double compared to ADL’s first worldwide survey a decade ago and the highest level on record since ADL started tracking these trends globally.
“Antisemitism is nothing short of a global emergency, especially in a post-October 7 world. We are seeing these trends play out from the Middle East to Asia, from Europe to North and South America,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO.
Related: Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Religious Dialogue in Greece
