ADL Finds Antisemitic Incidents Increased 36 Percent in 2022, Highest Number Since 1979
Antisemitic incidents increased 49% to 494 at K-12 schools and 41% to 219 at institutions of higher education.
Chart via ADL
Antisemitic incidents rose 36% across the nation last year, the highest number on record since 1979 when the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) began tracking this type of criminal activity.
According to a new report from the ADL, in 2022 it tabulated 3,697 antisemitic incidents throughout the U.S. In 2021, there were 2,717 incidents. The incidents that were tracked included harassment, vandalism, and assault.
Antisemitic harassment increased 29% to 2,298, and antisemitic vandalism increased 51% to 1,288. Antisemitic assaults increased 26% to 111, with 107 of those assaults perpetrated without a deadly weapon. There was one fatality. Orthodox Jews were targeted in 53% of the assaults.
In the past decade, the overall rate of antisemitic incidents in the United States has increased more than 492%, from 751 in 2013 to 3,697 last year.
ADL is not attributing 2022’s dramatic rise in incidents to any one cause or ideology. White supremacist propaganda activity increased 102% to 852 incidents, while incidents increased 49% to 494 at K-12 schools and 41% to 219 at institutions of higher education. Attacks against Orthodox Jews increased 69% to 59 incidents, and bomb threats toward Jewish institutions increased from eight to 91 incidents.
The number of incidents involving references to Israel or Zionism declined in 2022 to 241 from 345 in 2021. ADL says 70 of last year’s incidents could be identified as “having been perpetrated by individuals associated with hostile anti-Zionist activist groups, most commonly Witness for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine and its affiliates.” White supremacist groups were responsible for 46 of these incidents.
Last year 589 incidents happened at Jewish institutions, such as synagogues, community centers, and schools, representing at 12% increase from 2021.
The increase in antisemitic incidents comes as antisemitic attitudes are on the rise in Americans. ADL has found that 20% of Americans believe six or more antisemitic tropes. In 2019, that percentage was 11.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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