NEW YORK (EJP)—According to a report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased by 67% in the first nine months of 2017 compared to the same period last year.
There was a 92 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in New York City — 171 this year compared to 89 in the corresponding period last year.
Anti-Semitic assaults, however, have fallen 60%: There were 12 assaults in the first nine months of 2017, as opposed to 29 over the same period last year.
The ADL report said there had been 1,299 anti-Semitic incidents across the U.S. between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 this year, compared with 1,266 in all of 2016. This year's figures include 703 incidents of harassment, including 162 bomb threats against Jewish institutions, 584 incidents of vandalism, including 52 against Jewish institutions and 12 physical assaults.
"These incidents took place across the country, but consistent with prior reports, the states with the highest numbers of incidents tend to be those with the largest Jewish populations. These include New York State (267 incidents), California (197), Massachusetts (117), Florida (69) and Pennsylvania (58)," ADL said.
The report noted that of the incidents reported, a disturbingly high number of anti-Semitic bullying and vandalism incidents had taken places in schools and college campuses across the country.
"We are astonished and horrified by the rise in anti-Semitic harassment, incidents and violence targeting our communities," said ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan A. Greenblatt.
The ADL report said that in addition to the waves of bomb threats against Jewish institutions at the beginning of the year, most of which were suspected of coming from an American-Israeli Jewish man living in Israel, the main driver of anti-Semitic incidents was the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August.
“While the tragedy in Charlottesville highlighted this trend, it was not an aberration. Every single day, white supremacists target members of the Jewish community — holding rallies in public, recruiting on college campuses, attacking journalists on social media, and even targeting young children.”
Anti-Semitic incidents spiked immediately following the rally: Of the 306 incidents reported in the third quarter of 2017, 221 took place on or after the Aug. 11 rally.
The report further noted that anti-Semitism continues to be a serious concern on college campuses and in public, private and parochial grade schools, saying incidents in grade schools more than doubled in 2017 over the same period in 2016, up from 130 to 269. Of those, 142 incidents of harassment and 114 incidents of vandalism were reported.