The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland (JRCI) published its first-ever report documenting antisemitic incidents experienced by members of the Irish Jewish community.
The organisation expressed deep concern over the findings and called for the rapid development of a dedicated national plan to address growing antisemitism.
The report records 143 incidents between July 2025 and January 2026, following the establishment of a community reporting mechanism, providing measurable evidence of antisemitic harm across Irish society. These findings raise serious considerations for public policy, institutional governance, and social cohesion.
Of the 143 incidents, 52 involved verbal abuse or slurs, 47 included vandalism or graffiti, 35 were threats or intimidation, 29 involved exclusion or discrimination, and 24 being direct digital targeting (hate emails and unsolicited messages).
Incidents occurred across public spaces, workplaces, educational institutions, healthcare settings, retail and hospitality venues, and digital communications. A recurring feature is hostility triggered solely by Jewish identity or perceived Jewish identity, including visible symbols, the Hebrew language, or accent.
The JRCI emphasised that the reports represent only a partial picture. International research consistently shows that antisemitism is significantly underreported due to normalisation, reporting fatigue, uncertainty about recognition, and limited confidence in institutional responses. Community members indicated that these factors also influence reporting behaviour in Ireland.
Respondents described inconsistent institutional handling, including minimisation, misclassification, or reluctance to explicitly recognise antisemitism. Such responses risk compounding harm and undermining trust.
Behavioural patterns documented in the report—including conspiracy narratives, Holocaust distortion, collective blame, and identity-based hostility—reflect forms of antisemitism observed across Europe. The JRCI stressed that these dynamics cannot be adequately addressed through generalised anti-racism frameworks alone. Antisemitism presents distinct characteristics requiring targeted policy responses.
The recently released European Commission Special Eurobarometer 570 found that 41% of respondents in Ireland considered antisemitism a problem, and 47% believed it has increased over the past five years, demonstrating growing public recognition of the issue.
The JRCI welcomed the Taoiseach’s remarks at the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony on 25 January 2026, in which he acknowledged the growing level of antisemitism affecting the Irish Jewish community and emphasised the need to redouble efforts to combat it.
European policy developments provide an important benchmark. Since the adoption of the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021–2030), most EU Member States have implemented dedicated national strategies supported by structured monitoring, institutional guidance, training frameworks, and cross-departmental coordination.
Ireland, however, does not yet have a dedicated national strategy to counter antisemitism. While the National Action Plan Against Racism 2023–2027 references antisemitism, it does not provide an operational response supported by dedicated monitoring, targeted actions, or measurable policy mechanisms. The JRCI highlighted this as a material policy gap and called for a standalone national plan to combat antisemitism in Ireland.
Ireland has endorsed important international instruments, including the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. The JRCI stressed that endorsement must now be translated into operational implementation.
The EU Strategy establishes a dual responsibility: combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. These objectives are interdependent, as communities cannot flourish where hostility is insufficiently recognised or addressed. Ireland has endorsed the principles necessary to confront antisemitism, and the JRCI concluded that the operational challenge now is clear. A dedicated national strategy, aligned with European standards, is the necessary and logical next step to ensure both the protection of Jewish citizens and the promotion of Jewish life, thereby removing contemporary, ambient antisemitism from Irish society.
