Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has urged Jews living in Western countries to relocate to Israel, warning that antisemitism is on the rise across Europe, North America and Australia.
Speaking on Sunday during a public ceremony marking the final night of Hanukkah, Saar said Jews have the right to live safely anywhere in the world, but stressed that history and current events show that security can no longer be taken for granted in many Western societies.
“The Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere,” Saar said. “But we see very clearly what is happening, and we have historical experience. Today, Jews are being hunted all over the world.”
His comments came one week after a deadly attack during a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where 15 people were killed, an incident that has shocked Jewish communities globally and intensified debate about antisemitism in Australia and beyond.
Addressing representatives of Jewish communities and organisations from around the world, Saar explicitly called on Jews from several Western nations to consider settling in Israel.
“Today, I call on the Jews of England, the Jews of France, the Jews of Australia, the Jews of Canada, the Jews of Belgium: come to the Land of Israel. Come home,” he said.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli leaders have repeatedly warned of a surge in antisemitic incidents in Western countries. The Israeli government has accused some foreign governments of failing to do enough to protect Jewish communities and confront extremist rhetoric.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Western nations to intensify efforts to combat antisemitism and guarantee the safety of Jewish citizens, describing the issue as a moral and democratic obligation.
In October, Saar sharply criticised British authorities following an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. That attack left two people dead and four others injured. Saar accused the UK of failing to curb what he described as a “toxic wave of antisemitism”.
Under Israel’s 1950 “Law of Return”, any Jew anywhere in the world has the right to immigrate to Israel and obtain citizenship. The law also applies to individuals with at least one Jewish grandparent.
Israeli officials say the law reflects the country’s role as a refuge for Jews facing persecution, a message Saar reinforced by linking contemporary antisemitism with historical experience.
