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ADL survey shows there were 1,879 antisemitic incidents in the US last year
Antisemitism watchdog says the number of racially-motivated assaults against Jewish people more than doubled to 39 from 17.
Last year saw the third-highest number of antisemitic incidents since 1979, despite a decrease from the previous year, according to a new report by the Anti-Defamation League.
Though the 1,879 incidents in 2018 dropped from the 1,986 incidents in 2017, according to the ADL’s annual survey of incidents released Tuesday, the number of antisemitic assaults more than doubled, to 39 from 17.
The report counts cases of assault, harassment and vandalism. The vast majority of the incidents last year were harassment or vandalism — 1,066 and 774, respectively.
According to the report, the last three months of 2018 were “unusually active” in terms of incidents. The shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue at the end of October “likely drew more attention to antisemitic activities,” the ADL said.
The highest number of antisemitic incidents occurred in 1994 and the second highest in 2017. Last year’s number matches the total for 1991, the third most recorded in one year.
The report referenced the shooting at a Chabad synagogue in Poway, California, on Saturday, in which an assailant killed one and wounded three.
“We’ve worked hard to push back against antisemitism, and succeeded in improving hate crime laws, and yet we continue to experience an alarmingly high number of antisemitic acts,” ADL’s national director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said in a statement Tuesday. “We unfortunately saw this trend continue into 2019 with the tragic shooting at the Chabad synagogue in Poway.”
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