International Journal of Global Diaspora Studies 41 International Journal of Global Diaspora Studies 2015. Vol. 1, No. 1 Website: www.wadis.or.kr Antisemitism in Italy Sergio DellaPergola The Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Accepted February 11, 2015; published June 30, 2015) This paper focuses on the background and characteristics of antisemitic expressions and perceptions in Italy – not the largest but one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. We provide a profile of the main characteristics of Italy's Jewish population and review the main themes and prejudices that have long permeated Italian society and public opinion regarding Jews in the country. Through a variety of recent sources we document the extant public knowledge and attitudes about Jews, attitudes about Israel, and perceptions of the diffusion of antisemitism among the general public. Perceptions of antisemitism among Italian Jews have been documented separately as part of the FRA study. Our purpose here is to contribute to a better assessment of the antisemitic syndrome, its sociological and political components, through the prism of the Italian case. In particular we demonstrate the extent of the phenomenon in a country where antisemitism, while not rated among the highest in Europe, is nevertheless a matter of concern. We also compare the actual socio-demographic profile of the Jewish population with the distorted perceptions of its rivals and detractors. Keywords: Italy, Jews, Antisemitism, Racism, Prejudice Concern is rising across European countries following the renewed spread of terrorist violence against Jewish individuals and sites. Murderous attacks occurred in March 2012 in Toulouse, in May 2014 in Brussels, in January 2015 in Paris, and in February 2015 in Copenhagen, and profanation of Jewish cemeteries and other targets is again on the rise. While part of a broader conflict featuring Islamic extremist groups against freedom of opinion and the constituted order in Western societies, these anti-Jewish episodes are intertwined with broader discourse about the status of Jewish communities in Europe. The fact is that European Jewish individuals and institutions increasingly become the target of acts of aggression mostly conceived and generated in a Middle East that has become the major basin of violence worldwide. For many European Jews, the state of Israel is a country where several of their relatives reside, and more broadly a pole of reference in the multifaceted complex of their cultural identity. But in turn, Israel being the paradigmatic enemy of extremist Islamists, anti-Israeli furor increasingly is transferred against the presence of Jewish communities in Europe. The anti-Israeli component of anti-Jewishness so extremely demonstrated in the recent murderous acts is actually embedded in a much wider and more complex set of attitudes and