JP Editorial
Jerusalem Post, Dec. 24, 2023
“Back in 2017, during the first few months of Donald Trump’s presidency, American media outlets reported on every single cemetery that was desecrated with swastikas or any bomb threat against Jewish institutions. Suddenly, six years later, a bomb threat against a synagogue isn’t breaking news anymore, and antisemitic flyers being distributed in Jewish-populated neighborhoods aren’t even mentioned nationally.”
Nationwide, American news media has gotten so used to antisemitic attacks across the United States that it has become numb to their existence, while most of the coverage is on local news outlets.
American Jews cannot remember when the rate of antisemitic attacks and vandalism has been so dramatic and violent. Since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, antisemitic incidents in the US reached the highest number during any two months since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking them in 1979, according to preliminary data released recently.
Between October 7 and December 7, ADL recorded a total of 2,031 antisemitic incidents, more than four times the 465 incidents recorded during the same period in 2022, representing a 337% increase.
This includes 40 incidents of physical assault, 337 of vandalism, 749 of verbal or written harassment, and 905 rallies where there was antisemitic rhetoric, expressions of support for terrorism against the State of Israel, and/or anti-Zionism. On average, over those 61 days, Jews in the US experienced nearly 34 antisemitic incidents daily.
The data showed a significant increase in antisemitic incidents, including a tragic one in Los Angeles where a Jewish man lost his life as a result of injuries received during an anti-Israel protest.
Approximately 250 incidents specifically targeted Jewish sites like synagogues and university Hillels. On college campuses, there was a noticeable rise in antisemitic activity, with 400 recorded incidents, a stark contrast to the mere 33 reported in the same time frame in 2022. … [To read the full article, click here]
