Tel Aviv University study links lone wolves, social media to rise in antisemitic violence

Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day later this month, a study led by Dr. Carl Yonker, in collaboration with researchers Noah Abrahams, Eli Hua, and Antonio Peña, is set to be published by Tel Aviv University, offering new insights into trends in modern-day antisemitism worldwide.

Part of the research focuses on the types of individuals who carry out violent acts against Jewish people and communal institutions such as synagogues and Jewish community centers. According to media reports, the motivations behind these crimes can be difficult to pinpoint.

The study analyzes indictments of individuals who carried out attacks between 2020 and 2025 in the four countries outside Israel with the largest Jewish populations: the United States, France, Canada, and the UK. The authors also reviewed media coverage of the incidents and legal records from the trials. They further interviewed defense attorneys who represented the accused, as well as others with direct knowledge of the attacks, trials, and related events.

The report concludes that most perpetrators of violent attacks against Jewish individuals and institutions were so-called “lone wolves,” not formally affiliated with organized hierarchical groups. Many also acted randomly, with little or no planning. While this made the attacks less effective than if they had been carefully planned and resourced, it also made them far more difficult to prevent, as traditional law enforcement monitoring and surveillance methods were often ineffective.

Many of the attackers had posted comments or content on social media indicating general agreement with antisemitic ideas, but doing so did not violate any laws. Law enforcement cannot monitor every individual who shares such content to ensure they never act on those views. At the same time, tens of thousands of people express or support antisemitic content online without ever committing real-world offenses, making it extremely difficult to predict who might act on impulse.

However, the report identified several patterns. Most perpetrators were men, and many were unemployed, experiencing mental or emotional health challenges, or otherwise living on the margins of society. It also noted suspected involvement by Russia’s intelligence services in some of the attacks, particularly in Europe, as part of a broader effort to destabilize the NATO alliance, which the Kremlin views as its primary adversary.

The report concludes, in part, that “Contrary to common assumptions, perpetrators of antisemitic crimes are not a single homogeneous group.” Rather, they come “from a wide range of age groups, ethnic backgrounds and places of residence. The majority belong to one of two political extremes that are increasingly penetrating mainstream Western politics: Christians who espouse white supremacist views, and Muslims who express protest over the Middle East conflict in antisemitic ways.”

Dr. Yonker added that “the absence of organizational frameworks in which the defendants were exposed to antisemitic incitement indicates that even those for whom there is no clear evidence have likely undergone radicalization on social media. It will not be possible to combat antisemitism effectively as long as the owners of digital platforms refrain from meaningful oversight of the content posted on them or face significant sanctions if they fail to do so…where perpetrators of hate crimes are not punished, such crimes multiply and become more severe.”

The study is part of a broader body of academic research published annually by Tel Aviv University as part of its report on global trends in antisemitism. The report’s editor-in-chief, Tel Aviv University Professor Uriya Shavit, said that “the failed struggle against antisemitism relies on many slogans and clichés, but lacks solid research and data that could support policing and intelligence efforts against offenders. The new study is intended to fill that gap.”