“This was a year of unprecedented antisemitic activity, a time when many Jewish communities across the country had direct encounters with hate,” said ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt. “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.
The American Jewish community experienced the highest level of antisemitic incidents last year since tracking began in 1979, with more than 2,100 acts of assault, vandalism and harassment reported across the United States, a new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shows.
The record number of incidents came as the Jewish community grappled with vicious and lethal antisemitic attacks against communities in Poway, Jersey City and Monsey, and a spree of violent assaults in Brooklyn.
The 2019 ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents found that the total number of antisemitic incidents in 2019 increased 12 percent over the previous year, with a disturbing 56 percent increase in assaults.
The audit found there were, on average, as many as six antisemitic incidents in the U.S. for each day in the calendar year. This is the highest level of antisemitic activity ever recorded by ADL.
The year included five fatalities directly linked to antisemitic violence and another 91 individuals targeted in physical assaults. Incidents were reported in every one of the 48 contiguous United States and Washington, D.C. More than half of the assaults nationwide took place in the five boroughs of New York City, including 25 in Brooklyn alone.
“This was a year of unprecedented antisemitic activity, a time when many Jewish communities across the country had direct encounters with hate,” said ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt. “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.
ADL’s Center on Extremism identified 234 incidents targeting Jewish synagogues and community centers in 2019. This included the white supremacist shooting at a Chabad center in Poway, California, which killed one worshipper, a 60-year-old woman who was mourning her mother’s recent death, and injuring three more, including the rabbi.
ADL’s Audit classifies all incidents into three categories: assault, harassment and vandalism.
In 2019, ADL recorded 270 antisemitic incidents attributed to known extremist groups or individuals inspired by extremist ideology. This represents 13 percent of the total number of incidents.