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When One Hate Rises, All Hate Rises

When there is a surge in antisemitism it often results in increases in all forms of identity-based hate. This is because acceptance of antisemitism can reflect a willingness to turn on marginalized groups or a desire to find a scapegoat for societal, political, or economic issues.  An “us vs. them” mentality is often an indicator of a fragile democracy lacking a strong ethical foundation.

Beyond Our Local Area

Each year since 1979, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has released a national audit of antisemitic incidents, including harassment, vandalism and assault. Findings from the 2023 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents show a 140% increase from 2022 to 8,873, the highest number on record since the ADL began tracing such incidents. ADL tracked more incidents in 2023 than in the previous three years combined.

The sharp rise in incidents took place primarily between October 7 and December 31, 2023, during which time there were 5,204 incidents – more than the total for 2022.

Incidents in K-12 schools increased by 135% to 1,162.

Beyond Antisemitism 

A report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University showed hate crimes in the ten largest American cities increased by almost 13% in 2023 compared to 2022, fueled in large part by the October 7th attack. When expanded to include 25 major cities, the increase was 17%. This data is generally seen to reflect the national trend.

Of the ten cities in the report, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Austin all broke decades-old records for the most hate crimes committed in 2023, with Houston experiencing a nearly 200% increase. The report, while preliminary, emphasized that the actual numbers are likely much higher due to underreporting and predicted that they are expected to increase in 2024 due to the presidential election.

 

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