ADL antisemitic and extremist incident H.E.A.T. map Courtesy of Screenshot/ ADL.com

From antisemitic Zoom-bombing at Florida International University to graffiti at a Broward County construction site reading “The Jews did 9/11,” Florida saw a troubling 40% increase in antisemitic incidents in 2020.

While the United States saw an overall decrease in antisemitic incidents last year, Florida was the site of 127 antisemitic incidents involving harassment and vandalism in 2020, up from 91 in 2019, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s annual Audit on Antisemitic Incidents released Tuesday.

“For the last two years, we have seen a steady increase of anti-Semitic incidents in the State of Florida,” said Yael Hershfield, ADL Florida Interim Regional director in a news release. “The first step in addressing a societal problem is acknowledging it for what it actually is. And we must recognize that the hatred experienced by the Jewish community is real, and increasingly pervasive.”

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

While Florida had no recorded cases of antisemitic assault, the state saw an increase in both vandalism (30 incidents, up from 24) and harassment (97 cases, up from 64) since 2019.

Many incidents of harassment occurred online in what has come to be known as “zoombombing.” In these incidents, Jewish individuals, organizations, and institutions reported interruptions in their virtual meetings in which the “zoombomber” would dispel antisemitic and often racist imagery or speech.

Florida had the fourth highest number of antisemitic incidents after New York (336), New Jersey (295), and California (289), and Miami-Dade saw the highest number of incidents (27) of any other county in the state.

Nationwide, 2,024 antisemitic incidents including vandalism, harassment and assault were recorded in 2020, down 4% from 2019. The audit showed a 12% decline in vandalism and a 49% decline in assault incidents, but a 10% rise in harassment incidents across the country.

Despite the overall decrease, antisemitic incidents remain at historically high levels, according the the ADL’s tracking.

“While any decline in the data is encouraging, we still experienced a year in which antisemitic acts remained at a disturbingly high level despite lockdowns and other significant changes in our daily lives and interactions with others,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL chief executive officer. “We can’t let our guard down. As communities begin to open up and people spend more time in person with others, we must remain vigilant.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount