By Charles Gardner —
Irish antisemitism has been described as ‘medieval’ after a shocking survey of Christians there.
According to new research, a third of Irish Christians say Jews ‘talk too much about the Holocaust’ and have ‘too much control over global affairs’.
Among the claims, it was found that 36 per cent of Irish respondents believe Jews have too much power in the business world and that Irish Christians are three times more antisemitic than Americans.
Only 11% support Israel in the recent conflict compared to 45% siding with Palestinians, with two-thirds believing that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
The survey showed that 31% of Irish Christians believe Jews ‘don’t care what happens to anyone but their own kind’ and are hated ‘because of the way they behave’.
More than a thousand Irish Christians – mostly Catholics – took part in the study, led by Dr Kirill Bumin and Dr Motti Inbari.
Anti-Israel attitudes are ‘deeply embedded’ and ‘pervasive’ in Ireland, said Dr Bumin, lead researcher and associate dean at Boston University. Dr Inbari, professor of Jewish studies at the University of North Carolina, said: “It’s disturbing to see a Western democracy so steeped in prejudice and bias,” adding: “It’s like we’re living in medieval times.”
A similar survey carried out among UK Christians also revealed a surprising amount of antisemitism, though not as severe, while a study of American believers indicated much higher levels of support for Israel.
The Irish research was commissioned by Chosen People Ministries, a Christian charity supporting Israel with offices in New York and London.
“The study shows Irish Christians in general have little sympathy for Israel,” said Chosen People CEO Dr Mitch Glaser.
