Finnish Jews report rising antisemitism amid Gaza war tensions

Finnish Jews have begun concealing their identity as antisemitic incidents surge in the wake of the Gaza conflict, according to interviews with a dozen community members conducted by Yle.

Several described facing open hostility, including verbal abuse in public. Mercédesz Czimbalmos, a researcher at Åbo Akademi University, said she was called a “fucking Jew” at a metro station shortly after the war began—likely because she was wearing a Star of David. Her 2023–2024 study on antisemitism in Finland found that anti-Jewish sentiment had already been growing before the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Many now avoid displaying Jewish symbols or discussing Israel online. One Helsinki woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she no longer engages with Israel-related content on social media. Of the 12 Jews Yle interviewed, five women requested anonymity; Yle withheld names to protect their privacy and safety.

While Finland is not among Europe’s most antisemitic countries, the war has intensified fears. The Helsinki synagogue has tightened security, and some community members report avoiding Jewish neighborhoods. “No one declares, ‘I’m an antisemite,’” said one middle-aged woman from southern Finland, echoing scholar David Hirsh’s observation that modern antisemitism often masquerades as political criticism. “People may not even realize their words come across as anti-Jewish.”

Antisemitic tropes—stereotypes about Jewish greed, Holocaust denial, and conspiracy theories—have spread widely on social media. Kornél Salamon, a political history student at the University of Turku and board member of Finland’s Center Against Antisemitism, said he encountered conspiracy theories even among army peers. Another woman recounted being told in person, “It’s good that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.”

Traditionally associated with far-right and Islamist groups, antisemitism is now also emerging in left-wing rhetoric, interviewees said. Some cited comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany and the use of “Zionist” as a slur implying extremism. “Jews are being divided into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ based on their stance on the war,” Salamon said. “I’m constantly asked to justify Israel’s actions—as if my identity makes me responsible.”

Young Finnish Jews described feeling pressured to condemn Israel publicly to avoid blame. “People act like it’s reasonable to demand I prove my moral and political correctness just because I’m Jewish,” said a female student at the University of Helsinki.

Finland’s Jewish population numbers only a few thousand. Despite the tensions, most interviewees emphasized that overt violence remains rare—but the normalization of antisemitic language has left many uneasy. “The threshold for casual antisemitic remarks has dropped,” said one young woman. “It’s usually ‘just jokes,’ but the stereotypes stick.”