Anti-Semitic Incidents Surge: ADL Study
Jonathan Greenblatt
(JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League reported that anti-Semitic incidents in the first nine months of 2017 have risen 67 percent since the same period last year. If the current pace holds, they will nearly double the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2015.
There was also a 92 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in New York City — 171 this year compared to 89 last year.
Thursday’s report by the ADL, which fights anti-Semitism and bigotry, said that in addition to the waves of bomb threats against Jewish institutions at the beginning of the year, the main driver of anti-Semitic incidents was the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August.
Most of the 162 total bomb threats are suspected of coming from an American-Israeli Jewish man living in Ashdod, Israel. Even discounting the bomb threats, there was still a 46 percent increase in incidents. The seven weeks following the Charlottesville rally saw 221 incidents of anti-Semitism.
“We are astonished and horrified by the rise in anti-Semitic harassment, incidents and violence targeting our communities,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL’s CEO and national director.
Anti-Semitic assaults, however, have fallen sharply since last year. There were 29 assaults in the first nine months of 2016, versus 12 over the same period this year — a decrease of some 60 percent.
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