The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States has sharply increased in the three months following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, according to new data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which tracked a total of 3,283 incidents against Jews between October 7 and January 7 — a 360% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
The preliminary data compiled by the ADL shows that there was an average of nearly 34 anti-Semitic incidents every day following the October 7 attack, putting 2023 on track to be the year with the highest number of anti-Semitic acts since the ADL began tracking this data in the late 1970s.
The data from these three months exceeded the total number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in any year over the last decade, except for 2022, when the total number reached a peak of 3,697.
“The American Jewish community is facing an unprecedented level of threat in modern history,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL. “It is shocking that we recorded more anti-Semitic acts in three months than we would normally see in an entire year.”
The ADL reported that the 3,283 incidents can be divided into four categories, including physical assault (60 incidents); vandalism (553); and verbal or written harassment (1,353). The fourth category encompasses what the ADL characterizes as “1,317 manifestations, including anti-Semitic rhetoric, expressions of support for terrorism against the State of Israel, and/or anti-Zionism.”
At least 505 of the total incidents during the three-month period occurred on university campuses, with another 246 reported in elementary and secondary schools, according to the ADL. At least 628 incidents were reported against Jewish institutions, such as synagogues.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has also fueled Islamophobia in the U.S., with many Muslims describing rising prejudice and hatred. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a major Muslim advocacy group, announced on December 7 that it had received 2,171 requests for assistance and reports of prejudice between October 7 and December 2.
The total number of complaints represented a 172% increase compared to the same eight-week period the previous year, CAIR said in a press release.
Source: NBC News