The Local Landscape of Rising Hate Today
In 2023, antisemitic incidents in New Jersey rose by 103 percent from 2022's already record-breaking levels to the highest number ever reported by the ADL and the third highest number reported in any state across the country.
Reported antisemtic incidents in New Jersey in the fourth quarter of 2023 hit a staggering 409, equaling the total reported in NJ in all of 2022. In 2023, Monmouth and Middlesex counties tied for the second most antisemitic incidents with 91 each, trailing only Bergen County.
Middlesex County is the home of Rutgers University. In 2022, the NJ Attorney General’s Office listed one total reported bias incident in higher education in Middlesex County. That number skyrocketed to 20 in 2023. Of the 20 incidents, eight took place in October and seven occurred in November. This means 75% of the total reported bias incidents in higher education in Middlesex County in 2023 occurred in the two months immediately following the start of the war in Israel.
In 2024, there have been 57 total reported bias incidents in higher education in Middlesex County. 61.4% (35) of them have had anti-Jewish motivation. There have been almost four times as many anti-Jewish incidents as those targeting any other group and this trend does not seem poised to end anytime soon.