The total number of anti-Semitic incidents in the US fell by 14% in 2012, continuing a three-year trend of incremental declines, according to the ADL annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents, issued this week.
The ADL audit reported a total of 927 anti-Semitic incidents across the US in 2012 including assaults, vandalism and harassment, marking a 14% decline from the 1,080 incidents reported in 2011.
The 2012 total included 17 physical assaults on Jewish individuals, 470 cases of harassment, threats and events, and 440 cases of vandalism. The audit includes both criminal and non-criminal incidents reported to ADL in 35 states and Washington, DC.
ADL’s Mountain States region, consisting of Colorado and Wyoming, experienced a slight increase in anti-Semitic incidents from 11 in 2011 to 13 in 2012.
No incidents were reported in Wyoming in 2011 and 2012.
Incidents in Colorado include:
• the vandalism of the exterior of a synagogue with a swastika and “4:20” (4:20 is presumed to represent Adolf Hitler’s birthday, April 20. The vandalism was discovered on April 20.)
• statements by a Colorado university professor, who said that the only reason the US supports Israel is because the “Israel lobby owns the American system.” The professor went on to say that the Jews control the political process, the banks and the media, and that they “own” President Obama
• the vandalism of property of a Jewish day school with swastikas and the likeness of what appeared to be a Nazi soldier.
Scott L. Levin, Mountain States regional director and Andrea Shpall, regional board chair, issued this statement:
“It is upsetting that there has been an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Colorado. While the increase is small, we must remember that any occurrence of anti-Semitism and bigotry is unacceptable.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe and welcome, and we as a community must remain committed to preventing and combating anti- Semitism and hatred in all its forms.”
According to the audit, the most dramatic increase was reported in the anti-Semitic vandalism category, which experienced a 33% increase — a total of 440 incidents reported in 2012, compared with 330 in 2011.
While the majority of those incidents took place on public property or individual homes, Jewish institutions were targeted in 13% of the total vandalism incidents.
Moreover, physical assaults remained at a similar level, with 17 incidents in 2012, compared with 19 incidents in 2011.
Continuing a consistent trend for many years, the states with the highest totals were those with large Jewish populations:
• New York State, with 248 incidents in 2012, up from 195 in 2011;
• California, with 185 incidents, down from 235;
• New Jersey, with 173 incidents, up from 144;
• Florida, with 88 incidents, down from 111;
• Massachusetts, with 38 incidents, down from 72.
• Pennsylvania, with 37 incidents, down from 38.
The annual ADL audit data reported to the ADL’s 30 regional offices and law enforcement across the country.
While the audit does not include criticism of Israel or Zionism, such reports are included if they cross the line from legitimate criticism to anti-Semitism by invoking classic anti-Jewish stereotypes or inappropriate Nazi imagery or analogies.
Public expressions of anti-Israel sentiments that demonize Jews or create an atmosphere of fear or intimidation for US Jews are counted.
Such slurs were particularly present during Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel’s November, 2012 military campaign against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.
At a demonstration in Atlanta, one protester held a sign that read, “Israel, the new Nazis” while another held a sign that had a Star of David pictured with a swastika in its center. Similar offensive messages were displayed at rallies in Chicago and Ft. Lauderdale.
While there has been a proliferation of anti-Semitic expression online, general anti-Jewish-expressions are not counted for the purposes of the audit unless they target a specific individual.
Assaults
The audit recorded 17 anti-Semitic assaults on Jewish individuals (or individuals perceived as Jewish) in 2012, down from 19 in 2011. Incidents involved the use of physical force or violence, spitting and thrown objects.
Here are selected instances:
• Rutherford, NJ: Molotov cocktails were thrown into a rabbi’s home, forcing him and his family to flee. (January)
• Brooklyn, NY: While walking home from synagogue on Friday night, a victim was punched in the face by two individuals in a larger group who were shouting anti-Semitic slurs such as “dirty Jew” and “kike.” (June)
• Manhattan, NY: A man approached an Orthodox man waiting for the subway and then grabbed his yarmulke off his head, threw it to the ground, and stepped on it. The man stared at the victim before walking away. (July)
• Ft. Mill, SC: A 15-year old boy on a bus returning from a football game was taunted with offensive comments about the Holocaust and his family. When he eventually tried to get off the bus, another student pushed him back down and told him to “Sit down, Jew.” When he tried to stand up again to get off the bus, he was pulled down another time and then hit in the face and throat before a coach broke up the fight. (October)
• San Yisidro, Calif.: A Holocaust survivor was physically assaulted and called anti-Jewish slurs after a political confrontation in a restaurant. (November)
Vandalism
The ADL audit recorded 440 cases of anti-Semitic vandalism in 2012, up from 330 in 2011 (a 33% increase). Vandalism incidents are individually evaluated by ADL and are categorized as anti-Semitic based on the presence of anti-Semitic symbols or language; the identity of the perpetrator(s), if known; and the target of the vandalism and its proximity to Jewish homes, communities and institutions.
The 2012 audit includes in its totals swastikas that explicitly targeted Jewish property or communal institutions. However, swastikas targeting other minorities or those used out of context simply for shock value were not counted. A total of 316 incidents involving the use or display of swastikas targeting Jews were included in the 2012 audit.
Here are selected instances:
• Brooklyn, NY: Three classroom desks at a public high school were vandalized with swastikas and obscenities. (January)
• Irvine, CA: A teenager came home to find a swastika and an obscenity was written on the garage of his family’s house while his family was inside. (January)
• Bushnell, Fla.: Fourteen Jewish headstones were knocked over in a military cemetery. (March)
• Queens, NY: Graffiti was found in a school bathroom that read “Kill the Jews wherever you may find them!” (March)
• Wilmington, Del.: Swastikas were spray painted on the driveway of a Jewish family’s home. (April)
• Wilkes-Barre, Penn.: A victim’s front door was spray painted with the words, “Get the hell out Jew or die.” (June)
• Houston, TX: Swastikas and SS bolts were scratched into a Houston synagogue. (August)
• Monmouth, NJ: The phrase “Kill the Jews!” was painted on multiple houses in a single neighborhood. Some houses belonged to Jews, some to non-Jews, and one to a Holocaust survivor. (September)
• Tempe, Ariz.:A swastika was painted on a sukkah and its covering was slashed. (October)
• Wilmette, Ill.: A woman returned to her car to find that a Jewish day school sticker had been removed and a swastika was carved into the door while the car was parked in front of her home. (October)
• Long Beach, Calif.: A swastika and the word “Nazi” were spray painted on the front of a synagogue. (November)
Harassment
The audit recorded 470 cases of anti-Semitic harassment in 2012, down from 731 in 2011. Incidents included verbal attacks and slurs against Jewish individuals (or individuals perceived to be Jewish); anti-Semitism conveyed in written or electronic communications, including anti-Semitic cyberbullying; and anti-Semitic speeches, picketing or events.
Here are selected instances:
• Teaneck, NJ: A flier titled “Wall Street Jews” was mailed to the Jewish Standard newspaper. (January)
• Lexington, Ky.: Complainant was in a store when she overheard the owners talking to customers about how Jews control the media and how Jews killed Jesus. (February)
• Bronx: A Holocaust survivor received a call at his home from someone who said, “I’m going to kill all of you [expletive deleted] Jews.” (June)
• Boca Raton, Fla.: An elderly man was told by two aides at an assisted living facility that he should “Go back to Nazi Germany, and they will finish you off. We should just drop you and get the hell out of here.” (June)
• Brooklyn: A man received a handwritten note at his apartment containing obscenities and anti-Semitic threats. (June)
• Macungie, Penn.: A woman answered her front door after she heard the doorbell ring. Upon opening the door, she found a swastika made out of tree limbs. (July)
• San Diego.: A synagogue received a voicemail that stated, “Hey kikes. Don’t think we don’t know about the [expletive deleted] Holocaust.” (August)
• Albuquerque, NM: A man received numerous anti-Semitic messages on his phone over several days calling him anti-Semtic name and other insults. The anonymous caller described himself as Jew@verizon.com and “jewishmidget@verizon. com.” (August)
• Los Angeles: The only Jewish teacher at a high school came to school to find a plastic mask painted with a Hitler mustache, a swastika, and the name “Hitler” written on it. The mask was hanging above his classroom door. (October)
• Atlanta: Students from a Jewish day school were in an airport bookstore when images of Operation Pillar of Defense came on the TV. The cashier then said to them, “Are you Jewish too? Get out you filthy, dirty Jews.” (November)
• San Francisco: A Jewish institution received a bomb threat and was evacuated. The building was eventually deemed safe to re-enter. (November)
Campus
The ADL found a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus during 2012.A total of 61 incidents were reported on college campuses, compared with 22 incidents in 2011.
Some of those incidents included the use of anti-Semitic imagery under the guise of anti-Israel activism, with conspiracy theories about Jewish political and economic control being voiced on campus.
For example, at a May “Palestine Liberation Week” program at the University of California, Irvine, Amir Abdul Malik Ali, a Northern California-based imam, claimed that “Zionists” were responsible for the financial crisis in the US.
He also argued that Zionism is a corrupting force for “Jews who believe in it.”
At Northeastern Illinois University in March, Gilad Atzmon, a self-described Israeli “ex-Jew” who has described Judaism as “extremist, chauvinist [and] racist,” used Holocaust-related language to demonize the State of Israel and reiterated conspiracy theories.
Here are selected instances:
• Seattle: A male student returned to his dorm room to find a swastika and the word “jew” written on his door. (January)
• Boca Raton: A female student stood up in a biology class and went on a rant against Jews. The student also threatened to kill the professor and hit a male student in the front row before she was removed from the classroom. (March)
• State College, Penn.: A swastika was spray painted on a Jewish fraternity’s sign. (April)
• Los Angeles: A student returned to his dorm to find the phrase “Die Jew” and a swastika drawn in marker on his door. (April)
• Manhattan: Yeshiva University received threatening voicemails such as “Execute all persons, Jewish persons,” and “warning all Jews, the nuclear Holocaust is coming.” (July)
• Athens, Ga.: A university Chabad House was vandalized with the phrase “[Expletive deleted] Z*O*G.” ZOG stands for Zionist Occupied Government, an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jews secretly control the government. (July)
• Columbus, Ohio: A pig’s head was placed above the front door of a Jewish sorority. (October)
• Boston: Two students destroyed a Chabad menorah displayed in a university quad. (November)
• New Brunswick, NJ: At a rally against Operation Pillar of Defense, a student displayed a sign reading “Zionists are doing to Palestinians what Nazis did to Jews.” (November)
Bullying
ADL continues to receive a troubling number of complaints about children, adolescents and teenagers engaging in anti-Semitic behavior, both on and off school grounds.
These incidents include physical assaults, threats of violence, and verbal and written taunts promoting anti-Semitic stereotypes or evoking disturbing Holocaust themes.
Here are selected instances:
• Omaha: A Jewish middle school student was bullied by older students who gave her the Nazi salute when they passed her in the hall. (January)
• Huntington Beach, Calif.: A 6th grader was told by a classmate that he (the Jewish student) should be dead because he is Jewish.(February)
• Strongsville, Ohio: A fourth grader was told by a classmate that “If you were in Israel, I would have to kill you because you are a Jew.” (April)
• Palo Alto, Calif.: A high school student returned to his car to find and anti-Semtic obscenity scratched into the hood. (May)
• San Francisco: A middle school boy was harassed by classmates. Two classmates threw at him crumpled papers with swastikas and Stars of David drawn on them. (May)
• Santa Fe: A high school freshman was “text bombed” with hundreds of texts all saying “Kill Jews. Heil Hitler.” (May)
• Westwood, Mass.: While students were sitting on bleachers, a boy threw a dime at a Jewish boy and called out “Jew, Jew!”(June)
• Watkinsville, Ga.: An 11-year-old was bullied on his school bus ride by an older student who once told him “I’m German. We cook Jews in my family.” (August).
