The number of recorded antisemitic incidents in the United States increased by 36 percent last, reaching the highest level since tracking began in 1979. It also follows an uptick in attacks on churches.
The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitic violence or harassment against Jews in the United States, documented 3,697 incidents last year. The audit tracks “criminal and non-criminal incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault against individuals and groups as reported to ADL by victims, law enforcement, the media and partner organizations.”
Serene Hudson, vice president of advocacy at Passages, an organization that facilitates trips for Christian students to the Holy Land, cited a January ADL report that found beliefs in anti-Jewish tropes have grown and basic knowledge about the Holocaust has declined.
“Passages is committed to continue standing by the Jewish people,” she says. “This is an alarming moment for American Jews, who must think about increasing security for Jewish institutions or the safety of wearing a kippah or the Star of David in public.”
Hudson urges Christians and others to “advocate boldly for the well-being and safety of the Jewish community.”
“In order to stem the tide of antisemitic perceptions, we must educate the church on the dark legacy of Christian antisemitism and Holocaust history and forge alliances with Jewish communities,” she said
Antisemitic incidents occurred in all 50 states, but the areas with the highest numbers were New York (580), California (518), New Jersey (408), Florida (269) and Texas (211). These states account for 54 percent of the total incidents, according to the ADL. Most incidents at Jewish institutions consisted of harassment, but the ADL recorded 86 incidents of vandalism and nine assaults. Ninety-one bomb threats were made against Jewish institutions, the highest recorded since 2017.
In New York, many of the attacks are carried out by young Palestinian Arabs and the attackers are both men and women.
According to a survey released last month by the advocacy group the American Jewish Committee, 82 percent of American Jews agreed that antisemitism in the United States increased in recent years.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
