On March 23, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) released new data showing that, in 2022, New York State once again had the most reported antisemitic incidents of any state across the nation. In 2022, ADL recorded a staggering 580 incidents in New York, which is a 39% increase relative to the 416 incidents reported in 2021. Incidents in New York alone accounted for 15.7% of all documented antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2022.
ADL observed increases across all three categories tracked in the Audit of Antisemitic Incidents: harassment, vandalism and assault. Of particular concern were 72 reported incidents of antisemitic assault, which accounted for 65% of all antisemitic assaults reported nationwide in 2022. This is a 41% increase from the previous record of 51 antisemitic assaults recorded in New York in 2021. ADL also saw notable increases in reported incidents of antisemitic harassment and vandalism, particularly incidents involving swastikas.
Nationwide, reported antisemitic incidents in 2022 reached an all-time high of 3,697 incidents, which represented a 36% increase compared to the 2,717 incidents recorded in 2021.
“The findings of ADL’s 2022 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents should serve as a wakeup call for everyone,” said Scott Richman, ADL New York/New Jersey Regional Director. “We have hit another grim record with 580 reported antisemitic incidents recorded in New York State, including an appalling 72 assaults. All New Yorkers should be able to live without fear of harassment and violence. Antisemitism is a pervasive issue that requires a whole-of-society response. We call on all of our partners – in government, education institutions, interfaith organizations, law enforcement or elsewhere – to help confront antisemitism whenever and wherever it occurs.”
Forty percent of all reported incidents involved the display of a Nazi swastika, which serves as the most significant and notorious symbol of antisemitism and white supremacy. These 233 incidents represented a 45% increase relative to the 161 incidents involving swastikas that were documented in 2021.
While most of the total number of antisemitic incidents recorded, 68%, took place in the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester reported 23 anti-semetic incidents. We are in the process of breaking out the 23 incidents and report back on what communities they occurred in and the type of incident.
The 72 incidents of antisemitic assault recorded in 2022 represented a 41% increase compared to 51 incidents in 2021. The volume of incidents is appalling, with an average of more than one assault per week. Fourteen of the incidents involved stealing or knocking off traditional religious head coverings (including hats, wigs, and yarmulkes). At least ten incidents of antisemitic assault targeted children or teenagers. Jewish individuals were punched, slapped, chased, targeted with fireworks, eggs, garbage and, in multiple cases, shot with BB guns. Examples of antisemitic assaults recorded in 2022 include:
- While yelling “Hey Jew,” an individual shot a BB gun at a person in a highly populated Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. (March 2022; Brooklyn, NY)
- A 13-year-old Jewish boy was chased by two teenagers who grabbed the boy’s yarmulke off his head. (August 2022; Staten Island, NY)
- An individual made antisemitic remarks, including “Kanye 2024.” A short time later, he struck a Jewish person from behind on a bicycle, causing him to fall and suffer serious injuries. (December 2022; Manhattan, NY)
In New York, there were 12 recorded antisemitic bomb threats in 2022. Ten of these were at Jewish Community Centers, one at a Holocaust Memorial Center and one at a Jewish university. Three of these specifically referenced the horrific shooting in Buffalo on May 14, 2022, where a white supremacist gunman opened fire at a supermarket and killed 10 people and injured 3 others.
A total of 53 antisemitic incidents in New York in 2022 were recorded in K-12 schools (excluding Jewish schools).
In 2022, ADL recorded 22 incidents of harassment, up from 10 in 2021, 13 incidents of vandalism, up from 3 in 2021, and 3 incidents of offensive literature distribution, up from one in 2021, on college campuses.
At CUNY’s Baruch College, a Jewish student was harassed in an elevator by someone yelling “Kanye and Hitler were right,” one of many incidents sparked by the antisemitic statements of Kanye West in the fall.
White supremacist groups continued to maintain an active presence in New York in 2022, using propaganda to communicate their hateful messages more broadly and to recruit new members. In 2022, ADL documented 123 distribution incidents in New York State.
In 2022, 17 of the 33 antisemitic white supremacist propaganda distributions had connections to one network, the Goyim Defense League (GDL). GDL is a relatively small network of extremists with the goal of spreading antisemitic myths and conspiracy theories. In one instance, individuals associated with the GDL dropped a banner over the Bronx River Parkway which read, “Kanye is Right About the Jews!”
Underreporting continues to be a challenge in many communities, as victims of bias crimes and antisemitic incidents – particularly those in marginalized communities – face significant barriers to reporting in the first instance.
ADL encourages all members of the public to report incidents of antisemitism directly to ADL here: adl.org/reportincident.
The adl has also created a map which tracks incidents of hate at www.adl.org/resources/tools-to-track-hate/heat-map.
More at www.adl.org.
