ADL Reports Brooklyn to be “Epicenter” of Anti-Semitic Hate

By Yehudit Garmaise

A New York anti-Semitic pandemic, with Brooklyn as its “epicenter,” is what the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) described when it released that the record number of anti-Semitic incidents that took place statewide in 2021 was 400: the highest in the nation. 

While often many of the incidents reported are “only” disturbing graffiti, such as spray-painted swastikas, last year, the ADL sadly recorded huge spike assaults perpetrated against Jews. 

The ADL recorded a record 51 assaults against Jews statewide, however a whopping 34 of those assaults took place in Brooklyn, which “continues to be a hotspot for anti-Semitic activity,” Scott Richman, ADL regional director for New York/New Jersey

The 51 assaults that were perpetrated against Jewish New Yorkers was not only, sadly, the most attacks recorded since the ADL first released its annual audit in 1979, but showed a shocking 325% spike from the 12 assaults the ADL recorded just the previous year in 2020.

“The alarming uptick in anti-Semitic incidents in our state should be deeply concerning to all: to both Jews and to those outside of the Jewish community,” Richman said. “The message that this data is sending us is clear: anti-Semitism, like other forms of hate, is not going away.”

In addition to 51 assaults on Jews, in 2021, the ADL reported 183 incidents of harassment.

Anti-Semites also made hateful marks on property, as the ADL reported 182 reports of vandalism and 161 cases involving swastikas in 2021.

Fevered attacks, including three bomb threats, on Jewish institutions, such as shuls, schools, and community centers jumped from 44 in 2020 to 62 last year.

“The fact that these incidents included a number of vicious assaults that frequently target visibly Jewish individuals on the streets of New York, including young children: is incredibly disturbing,” said Richman.