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ADL Audit: Anti-Semitic Incidents Declined 19 Percent Across the
United States in 2013; Assaults Against Jews on Rise
Editors Note: For more information and specific examples of incidents see ADL web site here http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/anti-semitism-usa/adl-audit-anti-semitic-incidents-2013.html#.UzrHdfldUVA
NEW YORK, April 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The total number of
anti-Semitic incidents in the United States fell by 19 percent in
2013, continuing a decade-long downward slide and marking one of the
lowest levels of incidents reported by the Anti-Defamation League
since it started keeping records in 1979.
ADL's annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, released today, reported
a total of 751 incidents across the U.S. during the 2013 calendar
year, representing a 19 percent decline from the 927 incidents
reported during the same period in 2012. In 2013, anti-Semitic
incidents were reported in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
"In the last decade we have witnessed a significant and encouraging
decline in the number and intensity of anti-Semitic acts in America,"
said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "The falling number of
incidents targeting Jews is another indication of just how far we have
come in finding full acceptance in society, and it is a reflection of
how much progress our country has made in shunning bigotry and
hatred."
The annual ADL Audit includes incidents of assault, vandalism and
harassment targeting Jews and Jewish property and institutions and
includes both criminal and non-criminal incidents reported to ADL's 27
regional offices across the country and to law enforcement.
While the total number of anti-Semitic incidents declined overall, one
dark spot in the numbers was a significant increase in violent
anti-Semitic assaults. The Audit recorded a total of 31 anti-Semitic
assaults on Jewish individuals or those perceived as Jewish in 2013,
up from 17 in 2012.
The reported assaults included: An unprovoked attack on a 24-year-old
Jewish man wearing a yarmulke by four men in Brooklyn, NY; an assault
of a 12-year-old Jewish girl who had a bottle thrown at her by a group
of girls, including one who yelled, "You dirty Jew"; and the attack of
a Jewish man in Los Angeles, CA, who was surrounded by five male
suspects who yelled "Heil Hitler!" before striking him.
None of the assaults was life threatening or required hospitalization.
"The high number of violent in-your-face assaults is a sobering
reminder that, despite the overall decline in anti-Semitic incidents,
there is still a subset of Americans who are deeply infected with
anti-Semitism and who feel emboldened enough to act out their
bigotry," said Mr. Foxman. "Such incidents are often among the most
traumatic for individuals as they involve person-on-person violence."
ADL has conducted the Audit annually in the U.S. since 1979.
In recent years, the ADL Audit has placed anti-Jewish incidents into
one of three categories: assault, vandalism or harassment. In 2013
the numbers broke down as follows:
-- Assaults: 31 incidents reported in 2013, compared with 17 in 2012;
-- Vandalism : 315 incidents in 2013, compared with 440 in 2012;
-- Harassment, threats and events : 405 incidents in 2013, compared
with 470 in 2012.
"We must remember that there are people behind every one of these
numbers, and every incident represents one person or an entire
community affected by the trauma of anti-Semitism," said Barry
Curtiss-Lusher, ADL National Chair. "Every swastika scrawled on a
school or rally held by a racist group demands a response -- by law
enforcement, by the community, and by public officials -- to ensure
that we reinforce the message that anti-Semitism is unacceptable in
society."
State-By-State Totals
While the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. decreased in
2013, ADL recorded increases in some states when compared with 2012
figures, such as in Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio and Texas.
Additionally, continuing a consistent trend for many years, the states
with the highest totals were those with large Jewish populations.
Once again, New York and California, while each experiencing declines
compared to the previous year, topped the list:
-- New York State , with 203 incidents in 2013, down from 245 in 2012;
-- California , with 143 incidents, down from 185;
-- New Jersey , with 78 incidents, down from 173;
-- Florida , with 68 incidents, down from 88;
-- Massachusetts , with 46 incidents, up from 38;
-- Pennsylvania , with 43 incidents, up from 37.
A full listing of state-by-state figures is available on the League's
web site.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading
organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that
counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. Follow us on Twitter:
@ADL_News
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SOURCE Anti-Defamation League
-0- 04/01/2014
/CONTACT: Todd Gutnick (212) 885-7755, adlmedia@adl.org
/Web Site: http://www.adl.org
CO: Anti-Defamation League
ST: New York
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