The number of violent anti-Semitic assaults taking place in the United States rose dramatically last year, contributing to a three percent rise in the total number of anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2015 compared to 2014, according to new data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
ADL’s annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, issued June 22, recorded a total of 941 incidents in the U.S. in 2015. 56 incidents were assaults, a more than 50 percent increase from the 36 assaults reported in 2014.
The audit found another troubling increase: anti-Semitic incidents at colleges and universities nearly doubled last year. 90 incidents were reported on 60 college campuses in 2015, compared with 47 incidents on 43 campuses in 2014.
ADL’s Southwest Region, however, which covers south Texas from El Paso to Orange and all points south with the exception of Austin, saw no decrease or increase in the number of incidents between 2014 and 2015, (a total of five each year) and while one of the 2014 incidents could be called an assault, all the incidents recorded in 2015 in ADL’s Southwest Region were classified as harassment or vandalism.
“We are hopeful our lower statistics in ADL’s Southwest Region are the result of our hard work to combat anti-Semitism and are an accurate reflection of the incidents that occurred, although we know incidents often go unreported,” said ADL Associate Director Dena Marks. “The increase across the country is disturbing, particularly the increase in violent attacks,” Marks added. “Those types of attacks have happened here before, and we are mindful they could happen here again.”
Marks also noted ADL found a rise of online hatred against Jews. “The issue has grown exponentially in recent years because the Internet provides racists and bigots with an outlet to reach a potential audience of millions,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. While the audit includes incidents of online anti-Semitism directed at a specific individual or institution, more general anti-Semitic expressions of online hate aren’t recorded, but there are plans to change that.
Among the incidents recorded in Houston in 2015:
- Swastikas carved in a display at a local Jewish institution
- A mezuzah (receptacle for prayers posted in a Jewish home’s doorway) taken off doorpost, thrown on the ground, scroll of prayers pulled out and defaced with a swastika
- Phone message at Jewish institution from caller claiming to be with ISIS and expressing a death wish against Jewish recipient of phone message
“While ADL’s goal is to eradicate anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred, we know realistically that hate can be cyclical and while our local numbers of anti-Semitic incidents are low right now, they can easily go up again,” Marks said. “In our eyes, one anti-Semitic incident is one too many. Our national numbers remind us we must always be vigilant, and our job is far from done.”
For more information or to set up an interview, call Dena Marks at 832-975-8310 or on her cell at 832-567-8843.