Reports of antisemitic crimes in the United States and around the world have increased dramatically in the wake of the latest deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas.
In the week after the crisis began, the Anti-Defamation League found there were 193 reports of antisemitic incidents, greatly outnumbering the reported attacks, 131, in the week that predated the tension.
New York:
There were multiple instances of pro-Palestinian activists heckling and harassing others in New York City. In some cases, protesters attacked Jewish New Yorkers.
In one video, a group of men wearing the colors that correspond with the Palestinian flag were seen heckling people, yelling, “F*** you” and “F*** you, you Zionist!”
In a separate altercation, a person suffered a minor burn after activists threw two fireworks from a car, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
There were 26 arrests during the protests, 17 summons issued, seven desk appearance tickets, one live arrest, and one juvenile report prepared, Sgt. Jessica McRorie, deputy commissioner of public information spokeswoman, told the Washington Examiner. The top charges were obstructing government administration, resisting arrest, unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct, and criminal possession of a weapon, she said.
Florida:
A Jewish family from New Jersey was on vacation in Florida on Tuesday when four people in an SUV began shouting antisemitic slogans and then threw garbage at them.
“Four males, probably in their early 20s, starting to scream at us through the window — you know ‘free Palestine, f*** the Jews — die Jew,'” Eric Organ told ABC7.
The perpetrators sped off when a bystander pulled out a firearm.
California:
Los Angeles authorities are investigating a potential hate crime in which a mob of pro-Palestinian activists approached people at a restaurant on Wednesday and “proceeded to beat” people who said they were Jewish, according to a witness.
Other witnesses also accused the group of targeting Jewish diners Tuesday while yelling racial slurs.
Authorities said they are also investigating an incident Monday after security footage appeared to show an Orthodox Jewish man being chased by a caravan of people waving Palestinian flags.
Illinois:
A synagogue in Skokie, Illinois, was vandalized last weekend. Police are investigating the potential hate crime after they found someone had broken a window and hung a “Free Palestine” sign, according to NBC5.
“It’s a really scary time to be outwardly Jewish,” Dina Shiner, who attended the synagogue growing up, told Fox News. “This is Skokie. It’s a heavily Jewish town. What’s bothering me is that everyone is saying, ‘Oh, this is just about Israeli and Palestine, it’s not about Jews.’ No, they’re targeting synagogues. That’s a direct target on Jews. This has nothing to do with Israel,” she said.
Utah:
A vandal drew a swastika on a Chabad Community Center Synagogue in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“A swastika is not a political statement. A swastika is an image of hate. A swastika represents one thing and one thing only, and that is death to the Jews,” he said, Rabbi Avremi Zippel told Deseret News.
Arizona:
A Tuscon, Arizona, synagogue was vandalized earlier this week.
State Rep. Alma Hernandez shared a photo of a window that had an object thrown through it, and she said she’s “a complete mess in tears” as she shared the details of the crime.
“I just got off the phone with my Rabbi our synagogue was vandalized someone through a rock at our glass door,” she added. ”This was NOT [an] accident! I feel numb. This is in #tucson Send prayers our way. It’s just the beginning.”
https://twitter.com/almaforarizona/status/1395094581255966723?s=20
Hate crimes against Jews are not popping up in the U.S. The ADL has reported antisemitic incidents in Argentina, Spain, Chile, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Qatar, Lebanon, Austria, and Poland since May 15.
Israel and Hamas, the U.S. designated terrorist organization that operates in Gaza, agreed to a ceasefire after more than a week of exchanging rocket fire resulting in hundreds of Palestinian and a handful of Israeli deaths.
