J.D. Tuccille argues that festering Jew hatred now threatens even the United States, traditionally a safe haven for Jews. Last month, a survey revealed that over three-quarters of French Jews feel unsafe in their country. Hundreds of French Jewish physicians gathered at an immigration fair to consider moving to Israel, the world's only majority-Jewish country. 'There is no future in France,' one told the Jewish News Syndicate.
His words echoed Rabbi Avraham Gigi, the Chief Rabbi in Brussels, who warned in 2015 after a rise in antisemitic attacks: 'People realize there is no future for Jews in Europe.' Now, with hostility rising against a minority that has long served as a punching bag for bigots, it is fair to ask where there still is a future for Jews.
Historical Context and Current Trends
In 1939, there were about 16.5 million Jews worldwide, according to Sergio DellaPergola of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. By May 1945, after the Holocaust, only 11 million remained. As of 2024, numbers had recovered to 15.7 million, still below the pre-war total. Whereas almost 60% of Jews lived in Europe in 1939, that share is now below 10%. Roughly 45% of all Jews now live in Israel, with another 40% in the United States. The numbers become increasingly concentrated as safe havens disappear.
Surge in Violence Since Gaza War
'In the shadow of the war in Gaza, there was a surge in the number of cases of severe violence against Jews in the West in 2025,' according to an annual report on antisemitism published by Tel Aviv University. It added that in every Western country, the total number of incidents remained dozens of percentage points higher than in 2022, the year preceding the war. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal attack across the Gaza border into Israel, killing over 1,200 Israelis. After Israel forcefully responded, many people perversely blamed Jews and the Jewish state rather than their murderous tormenters.
Canada Also Affected
One of the affected countries is Canada. B'nai Brith Canada reported last month that '2026 is already on track to be the most violent year for the Jewish community in recent memory.' Some Canadian Jews have moved or considered moving to the relative safety of the United States. Israel remains a refuge as the only country where Jews are a majority. The U.S. has traditionally provided safe harbor for those wanting to live in peace. But the concentration of Jews in Israel has eased the way for bigots to reframe Jew-hatred in post-modern, liberationist garb, calling themselves 'antizionists' to oppose the Zionist desire for an independent Jewish state as a haven for a beleaguered people.
