Facing Antisemitism, Diaspora Jews Remove Jewish Symbols

April 10, 2025

by: Sivan Hilaie ~ Ynetnews

Thursday, 10 April 2025 | Since the October 7 Hamas massacre, Jews around the world have been concealing kippahs, hiding Stars of David, and watching close friends distance themselves socially. This new reality of fear and alienation was the focus of a panel at Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth’s People of Israel conference.

Panelists discussed the global surge in antisemitism—and a simultaneous rise in Jewish aliyah [immigration] to Israel.

“In France, Jews are removing mezuzahs [Scripture box affixed to a doorway] and hiding Jewish symbols,” said Lt. Col. (res.) Shar-Shalom Jerbi, head of Education and Community at KKL-JNF. “My emissary in Paris had to bring the mezuzah inside. People no longer wear kippahs. Antisemitism is growing rapidly.”

Jerbi said Jewish communities are requesting tools to deal with the backlash. “We’ve invested millions of shekels in educational kits to fight antisemitism — Q&As for teens, teachers and parents. They don’t know how to respond to claims like ‘you kill innocent civilians’ or ‘Israel is an apartheid state.’”

Despite the crisis, aliyah to Israel is soaring. “Since October 7, 40,000 new olim [immigrants] have arrived in Israel,” said Avichai Kahana, director-general of the Aliyah and Integration Ministry. “It’s a miracle. There’s no other country in the world people run to during a war.”

Kahana also noted a dramatic increase in aliyah applications: “We’ve seen a 350% jump in France and a 130% rise in North America. It’s both the result of rising antisemitism and a wave of solidarity—people wanting to come and be part of building Israel.”

Shiri Madar, CEO of Netaim—a program to strengthen Jewish communities abroad launched by the late Ofir Libstein, head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council who was murdered on October 7—described the emotional toll. “We’ve seen completely transformed communities—afraid, hiding signs of Jewish identity,” she said.

According to Madar, the deepest damage is in daily life: “Their best friends, the ones they used to meet with every Friday, stopped inviting them. They were removed from WhatsApp groups. Children are being ostracized at school—ignored, uninvited.”

Still, she said, the crisis is creating new bonds. “We’ve seen a shift in the relationship between Israelis and Diaspora Jews [Jewish population outside Israel]. Where there was once tension, there’s now a shared sense of destiny.”

Also speaking on the panel was public diplomacy advocate Yoni Diller, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre. He highlighted the absurdity of having to explain what happened and the critical need for clear, truthful messaging.

Since October 7, he has traveled the world—including to US college campuses — speaking to both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences about the war’s real impact.

He pointed to media manipulation and social media algorithms that amplify anti-Israel narratives. “There’s an urgent need for a strong, honest narrative that supports Jewish voices and diaspora communities under attack,” he said.

With antisemitism on the rise, the panelists agreed that a coordinated national effort is needed both to support Jewish communities abroad and to prepare for continued waves of aliyah to Israel.

Editor’s Note:  In June of this year, Bridges for Peace will sponsor an entire planeload of French Jewish families who are making aliyah! For information about this exciting project, please scan to watch Rev. Peter Fast, our CEO, give further details  on  this  exciting  project!

Posted on April 10, 2025

Source: (This article was originally published by the Ynetnews on April 8, 2025. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Vadim Akopyan/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia