New York, July 22, 2024 —Jewish leaders and professionals across Europe are planning to stay put despite continuing feelings of isolation and being fearful for their safety and pessimistic about the future amid rising antisemitism, finds a new survey conducted six months after the October 7, 2023, terror attack.

Conducted between March and April 2024 and released by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s International Center for Community Development (JDC-ICCD), the Sixth Survey of European Jewish Community Leaders and Professionals provides an in-depth look at how the terror attack impacted shifting attitudes about antisemitism, communal safety and other issues facing the European Jewish community. JDC-ICCD conducts its survey of European Jewish leaders every three to four years since 2008, allowing researchers to study trends and shifts in attitudes over time. The 2024 survey was conducted online in 10 languages and included 879 respondents in 32 countries.

“The grim impact of October 7th on Jewish communities in Europe is fully reflected in this study, but so is the commitment of local Jewish leaders to help their communities brave the storm,” said Ariel Zwang, JDC CEO. “Since the attacks, we have worked hard to foster safe environments for thriving Jewish life, aid the most vulnerable, and develop the next generation of Jewish leadership, building on our century-plus work with Europe’s Jews. This survey gives us crucial data for guiding those ongoing efforts to strengthen European Jews—something that is ever more critical in the face of spiking antisemitism and political unrest.”

The study is part of JDC’s work in Europe, including partnerships with local Jewish communities to aid needy Jews and Jewish refugees from Ukraine, foster Jewish life and leaders, camping, crisis and resilience training, and research and community planning.

Key Findings

Post-October 7th Impact

Antisemitism: The October 7 terror attacks had a profound effect on concerns about antisemitism and respondents’ sense of safety and isolation.

  • 78% of respondents feel less safe living as Jews in their cities than they did before the Hamas attack.
  • 79% of respondent cite antisemitism as the leading threat to Jewish life in Europe and combatting it should be community leaders’ top priority.
  • 38% of all respondents and nearly half (46%) of respondents aged 40 and under report they have become more distant from non-Jewish friends.

Community as a Support: Respondents emphasized the urgency of supporting the broader Jewish community and strengthening communal relationships following the October 7 attacks.

  • 71% of respondents said October 7 generated new needs in their communities.
  • 48% said they are more likely to join demonstrations in support of Israel or against antisemitism since October 7.
  • More than half (54%) report becoming closer with their Jewish friends, and (54%) say they became closer to their Jewish community.
  • 11% said attendance in community activities increased.
  • Nearly everyone survey (97%) agreed, “It is very important to strengthen relationships between Jews living in different parts of Europe.”
  • The vast majority of respondents (89%) agreed, “It is important that my community belong to European Jewish organizations.” 84% agreed “European Jews have a special responsibility towards one another.” 80% say interdenominational tensions are “minor or real but manageable.”

Personal Security: Respondents are more cautious about how they identify themselves as Jews.

  • 32% said they are “less likely to wear a necklace or T-shirt with Jewish markers.”
  • 25% stated they are “less likely to wear a kippa.”

Israel: European Jews have rallied in support of Israel even as they have become more sensitive to the impact that events there have on their lives.

  • 82% report that their commitment to Israel was stronger post-October 7.
  • Respondents aged 40 and under were more likely than they were in 2021 to strongly agree that “Israel is critical to Jewish life in the Diaspora” (44% in 2024 vs. 25% in 2021).

The Future of Jewish Life

Current Threats: In assessing current threats, as in 2021, antisemitism was ranked the greatest threat but with an even higher 79% (vs. 71%). This was followed by an uptick of “alienation of Jews from Jewish life” and “ignorance about Judaism.”

  • Concern about “terrorism and violence against Jews” rose to 64% from 53% in 2021 and ranks as the fifth most serious threat, along with “demographic decline.”
  • 38% of respondents report that their institutions had suffered antisemitic incidents since October 7.
  • 83% expect antisemitism to worsen in the coming years, compared to 70% in 2021.
  • 73% of respondents say they feel it safe to live and practice as a Jew in the city where they reside (12% very safe, 61% rather safe), compared to 27% who feel unsafe (20% rather unsafe, 7% not safe at all).

Emigration: Despite these concerns, a majority of 69% of respondents are not planning to emigrate, compared to 66% in 2021. Antisemitism is now the top reason cited for emigration, with Israel remaining the preferred destination by far.

Government and Community Response:

  • 78% say their governments respond adequately to their communities’ security needs.
  • 41% said their communities were prepared to a large or very large degree to deal with an emergency situation (43% in 2021), while 19% (17% in 2021) said their communities were prepared a little or not at all.

Generational Outlook: Younger respondents (age 40 or less) are the only cohort to be optimistic, both about European Jewish life (57% vs. 43% for 41-54 vs. 47% for those over age 55) and about Europe generally (55%, 39% and 43%, respectively).

Community Priorities and Financial Health

Priorities: Respondents rated 18 community issues in terms of priority, and the highest priorities (scoring 8 or more on a scale of 1 to 10) were:

  • “Combatting antisemitism” (8.9)
  • “Supporting Jews in need in your community” (8.8)
  • “Strengthening Jewish education” (8.7)
  • “Including young leadership in decision-making bodies” (8.6)
  • “Supporting the State of Israel” (8.2)
  • “Reducing community tension and divisiveness” (8.1)
  • “Supporting Jews in distress around the world” (8.1)
  • “Developing creative outreach policies towards the non-affiliated” (8.2)
  • “Investing in leadership development” (8).

Jewish Poverty: While not among the top priorities, 41% of respondents cited “economic hardship among members/rising cost of living” as a serious or very serious threat to Jewish life (compared to 37% in 2021). “Poverty in your community” remains the lowest-ranking priority as compared to 2021.

Finances:

  • While more than three-quarters (77%) of respondents said their organizations’ current financial situation is “healthy” or “tight but manageable,” 21% said the situation is “unmanageable” or “critical,” which is up from 16% three years ago.
  • 43% expect their communities’ finances to deteriorate in the coming years (compared to 39% in 2021).
  • 36% anticipate their organizations’ financial situations to deteriorate, up from 30% in 2021.

Survey Sample
The survey sample included 879 respondents from 32 countries and was conducted online in 10 languages. Respondents included age cohorts from under 40 through 55+, were split between 541 men and 399 women, and reflected the full religious identification spectrum: 36% identified as Orthodox; 25% as Masorti, Liberal, or Reform; and 39% as culturally Jewish.

The participants drew from both Western (687) and Eastern Europe (192), and the countries represented were: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Respondents held a variety of roles in Jewish life, including: organizational presidents and executive directors, program coordinators, and current and former board members from Jewish organizations; rabbis; principals of Jewish schools and professionals in Jewish education; young activists, directors or owners of media with communal content; and significant community donors.