Monitoring group reports a steep rise in antisemitic incidents in Germany last year

BERLIN (AP) — A group that tracks antisemitism in Germany says it recorded an overall increase of more than 80% in incidents last year, with well over half of the total coming after Hamas-led militants’ attack on Israel in early October. The RIAS group said Tuesday it recorded 4,782 antisemitic incidents in 2023, ranging from anti-Jewish comments to attacks. That compared with 2,616 in 2022. The group said that 2,787 of last year’s recorded incidents — more than the previous year’s total — took place after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Those incidents included a mid-October attack on a synagogue in Berlin, which caused widespread alarm.