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ADL: Antisemitic incidents the highest they’ve ever been in 2021
"The data shows that no part of the country is immune to this rise in antisemitic incidents."
Antisemitic incidents in 2021 went up 34 percent year over year compared to 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s yearly Audit of Antisemtic Incidents.
The report indicates that there were 2,717 incidents last year, with an average of over seven incidents each day, the group said in an email. In 2020, there were 2,026 incidents.
Last year had the highest amount of antisemitic incidents dating back to 1979, when the ADL began recording them, the report said.
Of the incidents, 1,776 were recorded as harassment, 853 were vandalism, and 88 were assaults.
“The data shows that no part of the country is immune to this rise in antisemitic incidents, with all 50 states and the District of Columbia affected,” the ADL said in an email. “Too many Jewish communities had direct encounters with hate, and too many Jewish institutions — from schools to synagogues to community centers — have been reminded that they are vulnerable as incidents targeting these institutions climbed 61%.”
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Of all the states, New York had the most incidents with 416. New Jersey was second with 370, then California with 367, Florida with 190, Michigan with 112, and Texas also with 112. Together, these states made up 58 percent of total incidents, the report said.
Fortunately, no one was killed in the alleged assaults against Jewish people – 77 of 88 were without the use of a deadly weapon.
The increase in incidents also had to do with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the ADL said.
“For the entire month, 387 antisemitic incidents were tabulated by ADL, 297 of which occurred between May 10 – the official start of military action – and the end of the month, an increase of 141% over the same period in 2020,” the league said. “Of the 297 incidents, there were 211 cases of harassment, 71 cases of vandalism and 15 assaults.”
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Last year, there were 525 incidents at Jewish places, like schools or synagogues, an increase of 61 percent over the 327 on file in 2020, the report said.
A total of 484 incidents were said to come from “right-wing extremist groups or individuals inspired by right-wing extremist ideology.”
The report doesn’t include antisemitic activities or statements that happened in private places, instances of discrimination, unless there was harassment that accompanied it, or hateful ideas, including white supremacy.
To combat antisemitism, the report pushes for people to speak out against it. Local authorities, plus those at federal and state levels should provide funding for security at places of worship, schools, and other similar places, the report says. There should also be education on hate crimes for those who work in law enforcement, plus improvements in hate-crime data, among other tactics.
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