In 2020, New Jersey experienced the third-highest number of antisemitic incidents recorded in the state since tracking began in 1979, according to new data from ADL (the Anti-Defamation League).
ADL recorded 295 antisemitic incidents in New Jersey in its 2020 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. While a modest 14% decrease from the 345 incidents recorded in 2019, antisemitic incidents in 2020 remained near historic highs and were 69 percent higher than the state’s annual average of 174 incidents a year.
For the second year in a row, New Jersey had the second-highest number of antisemitic incidents in the nation, behind only New York (336).
Incident Breakdown
The ADL Audit includes both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs. The Audit classifies incidents into three categories: harassment, vandalism and assault. Of the total incidents reported in New Jersey in 2020:
- Harassment: There were 188 harassment incidents, a 17 percent increase over the previous year. ADL defines harassment as cases in which one or more Jews reported feeling targeted or threatened by antisemitic language or acts.
- Vandalism: There were 105 vandalism incidents, a 41 percent decrease over the previous year. ADL defines vandalism as cases in which property was damaged in a manner that harmed or intimidated Jews. Swastikas, which are generally interpreted as symbols of antisemitic hatred, were present in 79 percent of these incidents.
- Assault: There were 2 assault incidents, a decrease from 5 in 2019. ADL defines assaults as cases in which individuals were physically targeted with violence accompanied by evidence of antisemitic animus.
Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic
As it did with so many aspects of Americans’ lives in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic significantly impacted antisemitic attitudes and manifestations last year. ADL’s Center on Extremism tracked the proliferation of antisemitic conspiracy theories around the origins of the virus, government restrictions, vaccines and other aspects of the pandemic. These hateful ideas fueled much of the antisemitic rhetoric and acts in New Jersey last year.
In the first quarter of 2020, just prior to the implementation of widespread pandemic restrictions, ADL recorded 96 antisemitic incidents in the state– an 85% increase relative to the 52 reported incidents documented during the first quarter of 2019. As schools closed and people isolated from others, it is perhaps unsurprising that some in-person locations experienced a decline in antisemitic incidents for the remainder of 2020. ADL recorded drops in incidents at residences and public areas of 18% and 12%, respectively. Pandemic restrictions may have been partially responsible for the significant decrease in vandalism incidents at these and other in-person locations across the state.
Educational institutions experienced similar trends, though pre-pandemic incident data suggest that levels of antisemitism in schools remained at elevated levels in 2020. In January and February, ADL tracked twice as many antisemitic incidents in New Jersey schools as compared to the same period in 2019, but those numbers dropped as educational institutions switched to remote learning. ADL recorded 39 incidents at K-12 non-Jewish schools in 2020, down 60% from 97 in 2019, but 23 of those incidents occurred in just the first two months of the year. Similarly, ADL logged 11 incidents at colleges and universities in 2020, down 21% from 14 in 2019, but 5 of those incidents occurred in January and February – more than double the number of incidents in the same time period in 2019.
By contrast, Jewish institutions were targeted at a significantly higher rate in 2020 across the state. ADL recorded 25 antisemitic incidents at Jewish institutions, including synagogues, Jewish community centers, retirement homes and schools. This was a 40% increase from 18 in 2019 and the second year in a row that incidents increased by double digits.
Online antisemitic incidents also skyrocketed in 2020 as people spent more time in virtual spaces. ADL tracked a 150% surge in antisemitic incidents online, from 10 to 25. The pandemic inspired the development of new tactic in antisemitic harassment known as Zoombombing, in which malicious actors intentionally disrupt virtual meetings with graphic or hateful messages. New Jersey experienced 18 antisemitic Zoombombing incidents in 2020, 10 of which specifically targeted Jewish institutions.
For the purposes of the Audit, ADL counts instances in which individuals report having been the direct targets of online antisemitic harassment, including on social media. It does not include antisemitic rhetoric without a specific target, which ADL’s Center on Technology and Society works to track and expose alongside other forms of online hate.
Extremists and Antisemitism
Extremists continued to act on their hateful ideologies in 2020. Known extremist groups or individuals inspired by extremist ideology were responsible for 41 antisemitic incidents in New Jersey, an 11 percent increase from 2019 and 14 percent of the total number of incidents in the state.
40 of the 41 extremist incidents in New Jersey were white supremacist propaganda distributions featuring antisemitic content or targeting Jewish individuals or institutions. These incidents were part of a record-breaking amount of white supremacist propaganda that ADL tracked in the region last year.
Select South Jersey Incidents
Below is a small sampling of antisemitic incidents in southern New Jersey recorded by ADL in 2020. The full list of incidents can be accessed on ADL’s interactive H.E.A.T. (Hate, Extremism, Antisemitism, Terrorism) Map, found at www.adl.org/heat-map.
- February: Students at a middle school, who were not Jewish, wore yellow stars to “separate the Jews from the Nazis.” (Camden County)
- February: A swastika and the word “Jew” were found written on the front door of a condominium. (Atlantic County)
- April: A synagogue’s Shabbat prayer service on Zoom was disrupted by unknown individuals who wrote “Burn the Jews” in the chat function. (Burlington County)
- May: New Jersey European Heritage Association, a white supremacist group, distributed propaganda that read: “(((MEDIA))) is the virus,” using the antisemitic (((ECHO))) symbol to claim that the media is controlled by Jews. (Camden County)
- June: A Jewish man received a harassing and antisemitic email in which he was told, “Your behavior is why Jews are not usually accepted into Ocean City… Another ‘yellow stain’ on your religion.” (Cape May County)
- June: A school’s Google Meet class was disrupted by an unknown participant who made antisemitic and racist threats. (Gloucester County)
- July: A kosher market received a postcard with a message that began “JEW BOY GOING DOWN.” (Camden County)
- July: A teenager received an antisemitic text message from an unknown number that read: “Kill the Jews.” (Camden County)
- September: A man was harassed by another person who repeatedly sent him text messages and voicemails calling him a “cheap fat Jew.” (Burlington County)
- October: Swastika graffiti was found in a bathroom at a Wawa. (Atlantic County)
- October: Swastika vandalism was found on a road. (Cumberland County)
- December: During a neighborhood dispute, a person shouted “Heil Hitler” to their Jewish neighbor. (Burlington County)
Regional Incidents
ADL’s Philadelphia Regional Office saw high levels of antisemitic activity throughout its entire area of service, which includes the 37 counties in eastern Pennsylvania, 7 counties in southern New Jersey and the entire state of Delaware. In 2020, ADL recorded 130 incidents in this region, the second-highest level of the last six years, including 90 incidents in eastern Pennsylvania, 34 incidents in southern New Jersey and 9 incidents in Delaware.
Of the 295 antisemitic incidents across New Jersey, 12% took place in 7 counties in southern New Jersey. The 34 South Jersey incidents included 11 each in Burlington and Camden Counties, 6 in Gloucester County, 3 in Atlantic County, 2 in Cape May County, 1 in Cumberland County, and no recorded incidents in Salem County.
National Incidents
In 2020, regional antisemitic incidents mirrored national trends. Nationwide, antisemitic incidents remained at historically high levels last year, with a total of 2,024 reported incidents. While national antisemitic incidents declined by 4 percent after hitting an all-time high in 2019, 2020 was the third-highest year for incidents against American Jews on record. There were incidents reported in every state except Hawaii, North Dakota and Wyoming. The Audit found there were, on average, nearly six antisemitic incidents in the U.S. for every day last year.
The full national report can be found at https://www.adl.org/audit2020.
How ADL is Responding
ADL pursues a comprehensive approach to addressing antisemitic incidents and behavior. ADL is the largest anti-bias educator in the United States, annually teaching hundreds of thousands of youth and adults to challenge antisemitism and other forms of bias in themselves and others. ADL is a leading partner to law enforcement across the nation, helping over 10,000 law enforcement officers each year better prevent and respond to hate crimes and extremism. ADL is a tireless champion of civil rights for all, advocating at the federal, state and local levels for better prevention and response to antisemitism and all forms of hate.
In the Philadelphia region, ADL works diligently to combat antisemitism and other forms of bias through investigation, advocacy and education. The coronavirus pandemic did not slow down ADL’s work to fight antisemitism and all forms of hate across eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware in 2020:
- ADL Philadelphia educated over 600 law enforcement professionals on extremism, hate crimes and managing implicit bias, and provided investigative assistance in over 100 extremism-related cases in the region.
- ADL impacted over 100,000 students in the region through its No Place for Hate® and A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute bias and bullying prevention programs, in addition to training hundreds of additional students and educators through our antisemitism and Holocaust education programs.
- ADL Philadelphia supported victims of antisemitism and other forms of bias, built diverse coalitions and worked with dozens of schools, campuses, workplaces and other institutions while responding to nearly 400 requests for assistance.
- ADL Philadelphia piloted a new partnership with the Urban League of Philadelphia to build stronger relations between the African American and American Jewish communities and advocate around issues of mutual concern. The partnership expanded nation-wide thanks to the success of the Philadelphia regional pilot.
- More information about ADL’s important work to combat hate in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware in 2020 can be found in our annual impact report.
ADL Policy Recommendations
In response to the historic rise in antisemitic incidents over the past few years, ADL has made the following policy recommendations:
- Public officials and civic leaders must use their bully pulpits to speak out against antisemitism and all forms of hate and extremism.
- The New Jersey Legislature should hold hearings on the high levels of hate crimes, the rise of extremist groups and proliferation of their propaganda, and support legislation that improves responses to hate crimes and domestic terror.
- New Jersey should increase funding for non-profit security grants for synagogues and other houses of worship, schools and community centers.
- Policymakers should support efforts to provide law enforcement officials with the tools and training they need to prevent and effectively respond to hate crimes. Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies should also improve their procedures for responding to and reporting hate crimes.
- School districts should promote bias and bullying prevention and Holocaust education programs in elementary and secondary schools. Elected officials in New Jersey should help incentivize and equip schools to adopt effective anti-bias policies and programs.
- University leadership should respond firmly and forcefully to antisemitic acts on campus, including incidents that target Jewish students because of their actual or perceived support of the state of Israel.
- In response to the rising threat of domestic extremism in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at our nation’s Capitol, ADL recently announced the PROTECT and REPAIR plans outlining a whole-of-society approach to address this pernicious threat in person and online.
ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents
Compiled using information provided by victims, law enforcement and community leaders, and evaluated by ADL’s professional staff, the ADL 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 Audit offers one method to examine how American Jews encounter antisemitism, but a full understanding of antisemitism in the U.S. requires other forms of analysis as well, including but not limited to public opinion polling, assessments of online antisemitism and examinations of extremist activity, all of which ADL offers in other reports, such as ADL Global 100, Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience 2020, Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2020, the 2021 Survey on Jewish Americans’ Experiences with Antisemitism and the ADL Survey of American Attitudes Toward Jews. For a broader examination of antisemitism, see ADL’s resource, Antisemitism Uncovered.