Antisemitic Incidents in Pennsylvania and New Jersey Reached an All-Time High in 2022
Pennsylvania and New Jersey set record for antisemitic incidents; Delaware records large increase from 2021
Philadelphia, PA, March 23, 2023 … Antisemitic incidents surged to historic levels in 2022, with a total of 3,697 incidents reported across the United States, an increase of 36 percent compared to 2021 – also a record-setting year – according to new data released today by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League). There were an average of 10 incidents for each day in 2022 – the highest level of antisemitic activity since ADL started keeping records in 1979 – following an upward trendline of hate and vitriol directed against the American Jewish community over the last five years.
Regionally, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware recorded increases in antisemitic incidents from 2021. Pennsylvania recorded 114 total incidents, up 65% from last year. Harassment, a more serious type of antisemitic incident, jumped 73% in the Keystone State, recording 85 harassment incidents, up from just 49 in 2021.
New Jersey also set a record for antisemitic incidents in 2022, with ADL recording 408 incidents, a 10% increase. More disturbingly, assaults – considered the most serious incident type because it involves person-on-person physical violence triggered by antisemitic animus – jumped 50% from 2021.
Delaware, the third state in the ADL Philadelphia region, recorded 11 incidents, an increase from the 3 antisemitic incidents in2021 and the second highest number of incidents recorded since 2015.
This record audit follows multiple reports released from ADL that have found antisemitic attitudes in the United States are the highest in decades and have doubled in just three years, and incidents of white supremacist propaganda distribution hit a record level in 2022.
“This audit is another reminder of the very real threat the Jewish community is facing,” said ADL Philadelphia Regional Director Andrew Goretsky. “Antisemitism is not just a Jewish problem; it is a threat to democracy and justice. We know that where there is antisemitism, so too are there other forms of hatred. Record antisemitism in our region means there is also record levels of hatred against almost all communities. No one organization or community can address hate alone, it must be a whole of society approach if we are to push back the tides of hatred.”
Major Findings in Pennsylvania:
- Total Incidents: 114
- Vandalism: 29, this includes 16 incidents in which swastikas were depicted in antisemitic vandalism. Vandalism is defined as cases where property was damaged along with evidence of antisemitic intent or had an antisemitic impact on Jews.
- Harassment: 56 incidents were categorized as harassment, defined as cases where one or more Jewish people (or people perceived to be Jewish) were harassed with antisemitic slurs, stereotypes or conspiracy theories.
- Top 3 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania:
- Philadelphia (34 incidents)
- Montgomery (24 incidents)
- Bucks (5 incidents)
- Incidents at K-12 schools in southeastern Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia (6)
- Montgomery (3)
- Bucks (2)
“The number of incidents at schools is deeply concerning,” said ADL Philadelphia Regional Director Andrew Goretsky. “Children act as barometers of hate in society and, the fact that there are incidents in schools, shows that hate is so pervasive, our children are now imitating that hate they see around them. When public figures display hate and if parents are displaying hate and antisemitism at home, children will increasingly imitate that behavior at school, and it is every student who suffers.”
- 11 Colleges/Universities in Pennsylvania reported antisemitic incidents in 2022.
Major Findings in New Jersey:
- Total Incidents: 408
- Vandalism: 155 incidents of antisemitic vandalism recorded in 2022 represent a 38% increase relative to 2021.
- Harassment: 244 incidents of antisemitic harassment documented in 2022 represent a 3% decrease relative to 2021, but a 23% increase from the prior all-time high of 188.
- Assault: 9 incidents of antisemitic assaults, a concerning 50% increase above the previously record-high number recorded in 2021.
- Top 3 counties for antisemitic incidents:
- Ocean (62);
- Bergen (45);
- Monmouth (42)
- Incidents at K-12 schools:
- 120 total antisemitic incidents recorded at K-12 schools in New Jersey
- Burlington (9)
- Camden (6)
- Cape May (2)
- Gloucester (1)
- 17 total antisemitic incidents recorded at colleges/universities in New Jersey
- 120 total antisemitic incidents recorded at K-12 schools in New Jersey
Major Findings in Delaware:
- Total Incidents: 11
- Vandalism: 5, this includes 4 incidents in which swastikas were depicted in antisemitic vandalism. Vandalism is defined as cases where property was damaged along with evidence of antisemitic intent or had an antisemitic impact on Jews.
- Harassment: 1 incident were categorized as harassment, defined as cases where one or more Jewish people (or people perceived to be Jewish) were harassed with antisemitic slurs, stereotypes or conspiracy theories.
- Bomb threat: 2 incidents
- Top 3 counties in Delaware:
- New Castle (8 incidents)
- Kent (1 incidents)
- Sussex (2 incidents)
Major Findings in the United States:
- Assaults: 111 incidents were categorized as assault, defined as cases where Jewish people (or people perceived to be Jewish) were targeted with physical violence accompanied by evidence of antisemitic animus. This was an increase of 26 percent compared to 2021. A total of 139 people were victims of assault, an increase of 6 percent. There was one fatality. Perpetrators in four of the antisemitic assaults made references to Israel or Zionism. Orthodox Jews, who typically are more easily identifiable than other members of the Jewish community, were disproportionately targeted – comprising 53 percent of assault incidents nationally.
- Harassment: 2,298 incidents. Acts of harassment increased 29 percent, up from 1,776 incidents in 2021.
- Vandalism: 1,288 incidents. Acts of antisemitic vandalism increased 51 percent from the 853 incidents reported in 2021. Swastikas, which are generally interpreted as symbols of antisemitic hatred, were present in 792 of these incidents, up 37 percent from last year.
The states with the highest number of incidents were New York (580), California (518), New Jersey (408), Florida (269) and Texas (211). Combined, these five states accounted for 54 percent of the total incidents.
There were 589 incidents targeting Jewish institutions such as synagogues, Jewish community centers and Jewish schools, an increase of 12 percent from 525 in 2021. This includes the January hostage crisis at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, which ended without casualties and the British hostage-taker, an Islamist extremist reportedly inspired by ISIS propaganda, dead. Bomb threats toward Jewish institutions were unusually high, with a total of 91 – the highest number of bomb threats recorded since 2017.
Antisemitic activity reported on college and university campuses increased by 41 percent in 2022, with 219 incidents reported at more than 130 campuses across the country. In non-Jewish K-12 schools, 494 incidents were reported, an increase of 49 percent.
“It’s deeply troubling that there was such a sharp increase in school- and college-based antisemitic acts,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “This is a reminder of the need for more targeted education efforts aimed at rooting out hate and teaching acceptance. Holocaust education is increasingly important, which is why we are advocating for the passage of state laws mandating Holocaust education so schools are equipped to teach that history and ensure its lessons endure.”
Anti-Zionism
Antisemitic incidents tied to opposition to Israel or Zionism remained at concerning levels with 241 incidents, accounting for 6.5 percent of the total in 2022. This is higher than the 178 incidents reported in 2020, but a decline from 345 reported in 2021, which was unusually high due to incidents linked to the Israel-Gaza war in May of that year.
The largest number of incidents – 70 – were associated with hostile anti-Israel groups such as Witness for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine, an increase of 19 percent from 2021. Sixty-nine of the incidents were cases of harassment. In one incident, an anti-Israel activist physically assaulted a Jewish person during a protest hosted by the group Within Our Lifetime (the attacker later pleaded guilty to hate crime charges.)
Of the 241 anti-Zionist/anti-Israel-related incidents, 36 incidents took the form of white supremacist groups’ use of propaganda to foment anti-Israel and antisemitic beliefs.
“Regardless of where it comes from, anti-Zionism is hateful, especially when it is used to intimidate students on campus,” Greenblatt said. “It is disturbing to continue see both anti-Zionists on the far left and white supremacists on the far right using similar memes and tropes to spread antisemitism and hate, underscoring the fact that extremists from all sides rely on similar ideas to spread their hate.”
Mainstreaming of Antisemitism in Popular Culture
Some incidents were directly linked to events in the news. For example, hip-hop artist Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) was directly referenced in 59 incidents, an example of how his highly publicized antisemitic statements last year resonated with or motivated perpetrators. Extremist Black Hebrew Israelite groups were responsible for eight incidents, most notably surrounding the controversy involving basketball player Kyrie Irving.
“In a year when antisemitism found mainstream acceptance like never before, antisemites were emboldened to act on their animus,” said Oren Segal, Vice President of the ADL Center on Extremism. “From the antisemitic ‘Great Replacement’ theory to Ye’s claims about Jewish power, these conspiracies fueled real-world incidents of hate.”
Methodology
The ADL Audit includes both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs, as well as vandalism and assault. Compiled using information provided by victims, law enforcement and community leaders, and evaluated by ADL’s professional staff, the Audit provides a regular snapshot of one specific aspect of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported. This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.
The complete dataset for antisemitic incidents for 2016-2022 is available on ADL’s H.E.A.T. Map, an interactive online tool that allows users to geographically chart antisemitic incidents and extremist activity.
The Audit offers a snapshot of one of the ways American Jews encounter antisemitism, but a full understanding of antisemitism in the U.S. requires other forms of analysis as well, including public opinion polling, assessments of online antisemitism and examinations of extremist activity, all of which ADL offers in other reports, such as the ADL Survey of American Attitudes Toward Jews, Survey on Jewish Americans’ Experiences with Antisemitism, ADL Global 100, Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience, Murder and Extremism and White Supremacist Propaganda.
ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is the first call when acts of antisemitism occur. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. More at www.adl.org.
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