Anti-Semitic Attacks Rose Faster Last Year Than Any Time in Nearly 40 Years, ADL Says

Anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased nearly 60% from 2016 to 2017, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League — the largest one year increase since the organization began tracking the information nearly four decades ago.

There were 1,986 incidents of anti-semitism in the United States in 2017, the ADL found, which included vandalism and physical assaults. The incidents occurred in all 50 states, and the spike was the highest during the first three months of the year.

During 2017, Jewish cemeteries across the country were vandalized, Jewish community centers were evacuated due to bomb threats, and a white nationalist march in Charlottesville that turned deadly filled with protesters shouting “Jews will not replace us.” The ADL counted 163 instances of bomb threats against Jewish institutions, a 41% increase from 2016.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO and National Director of the ADL, said all of these incidents factored into the rise in attacks.

“These incidents came at a time when we saw a rising climate of incivility, the emboldening of hate groups and widening divisions in society. In reflecting on this time and understanding it better with this new data, we feel even more committed to our century-old mission to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all,” Greenblatt said in a statement accompanying the report.