To Carry a Passport Is to Carry a Place in the World: The Israeli Passport as Stigma in Post October 7th Europe

The article examines the growing social stigma associated with the Israeli passport in European transit spaces since October 2023. Drawing on passport studies, citizenship theory, border sociology, and memory studies, it argues that the experiences of Israeli travelers often extend beyond routine security procedures into subtle forms of exclusion and suspicion. The article situates these encounters within the broader historical context of antisemitism in Europe and explores how contemporary political tensions surrounding Israel can reactivate older patterns of identification and scrutiny. Building on Dimitry Kochenov’s work on passports and global hierarchy, the analysis shows that the Israeli case cannot be explained solely through unequal mobility regimes, but must also be understood through the enduring cultural and historical meanings attached to Jewish identity in Europe. The article contends that these largely invisible interactions reveal the limits of legal and diplomatic frameworks in recognizing contemporary antisemitism and highlights the gap between Europe’s commemorative memory culture and present social realities.