The United States had a record number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in 2019, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League.
The organization said Tuesday it found that 2,107 incidents of anti-Semitism took place in the U.S. last year — the highest level recorded in the 40 years that the data has been compiled. It also detailed a 12% jump in anti-Semitic attacks since 2018.
Of the 2,107 recorded incidents, 61 were physical attacks, 919 were acts of anti-Semitic vandalism, and 1,127 cases of harassment. More than half of the physical attacks took place in New York City.
Last year, several attacks on Jewish people occurred, including the shooting Poway, California, the shooting at a New Jersey kosher market, and the Hanukkah attack during which a man with a machete injured four and led to the death of Josef Neumann after three months in the hospital.
In a statement about the report, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said, “This was a year of unprecedented antisemitic activity, a time when many Jewish communities across the country had direct encounters with hate.”
“This contributed to a rising climate of anxiety and fear in our communities. We are committed to fighting back against this rising tide of hate and will double down on our work with elected leaders, schools, and communities to end the cycle of hatred,” he added.
Recently, the Anti-Defamation League brought attention to an increase in anti-Semitic attacks tied to the coronavirus pandemic. The group stated, “Jews as a people have a long history of being singled out and stigmatized during times of societal crisis, including being blamed without basis for the spread of disease.”
A couple was arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime on Sunday in New York City after allegedly attacking three Hasidic Jewish men and blaming them for spreading the virus. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has also been criticized by Greenblatt for singling out the Jewish community when addressing social distancing violations.
The uptick of anti-Semitic incidents was not isolated in the U.S. Globally, the number of violent anti-Semitic crimes hit a five-year high in 2019.
