Antisemitism in the United States has more than doubled since the IDF ‘Operation Guardian of the Walls’ was carried out to end the incessant rocket fire aimed at Israeli civilians by the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.
The conflict provided the latest excuse for antisemites to attack Jews in the United States.
There was a 115 percent rise in antisemitic incidents since the start of the mini war between Israel and Hamas last month, compared to the same dates last year, according to a new survey by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Incidents began a steep upward climb on May 11 as military operations intensified between Israel and Hamas. ADL logged 251 incidents from May 11 — the official start of military action — through the end of the month, an increase of 115 percent over the same period in 2020, when 117 incidents were recorded.
The ADL tallied 305 incidents in the entire month of May 2021. Although the violence between Israel and Hamas animated many of these incidents, it does not account for the full increase; when incidents that include explicit references to Israel or Zionism are excluded, the number still increased by 15 percent in the 20-day period of May 2021 compared to the same time period in May 2020.
ADL classifies incidents in the three broad categories of harassment, vandalism, and assault. From May 11-31, 2021, there were 190 cases of harassment, 50 cases of vandalism and 11 assaults. Forty-seven percent of the incidents (118 in total) included explicit references to Israel and Zionism.
According to the survey, 60 percent of American Jews have personally witnessed antisemitic behavior or comments in recent weeks, and more than 40 percent of American Jews feel more concerned now about personal safety than they did in early May, just prior to the start of the conflict.
In all, there were 11 assaults during the reporting period, while there were zero assaults during this same period in 2020.
Of certain concern however is the statement by the ADL that 60 percent of American Jews “personally witnessed antisemitism because of the Middle East conflict in May,” a statement that appears to differentiate between antisemitism and anti-Zionism — a gross error. (ed: bold emphasis added)
Anti-Zionism is simply a new form of antisemitism, as countless world leaders have stated, and provides another, newer excuse for hate against Jews.
The ADL’s own survey underlines this simple fact. Two-thirds or more of American Jews considered the following to be ‘definitely or probably antisemitic’: saying that Israel should not exist as a Jewish state (75 percent); comparing Israel’s actions to those of the Nazis (70 percent); or protesting Israeli actions outside an American synagogue (67 percent).
Calling Zionism racist (61 percent); calling for companies and organizations to boycott, divest from or sanction Israel (56 percent); or calling Israel an apartheid state (55 percent) are also considered by the majority of Jews to be definitely or probably antisemitic.
Recent violent attacks on Jews because they are Jews include the attack on Jewish diners at a kosher restaurant in Los Angeles by people carrying Palestinian Authority flags and a violent assault in Manhattan on a Jewish man wearing a Star of David necklace, who was punched.
On May 13 in New Orleans, a Jewish high school student wearing a yarmulke was harassed by another student who was advocating for Palestinian rights and told him to “take his dirty Jew hat off.” On May 24 a Jewish man in Las Vegas was assaulted by a stranger who said that Jews are “baby killers” who “are not going to exist” after they had a conversation about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
At least 75 percent of those surveyed said they want President Biden and his Administration “to do more” to address the antisemitism (76 percent). Even more, 78 percent, want Democrats in Congress and states to do more; 79 percent of those surveyed want Republicans in Congress and states to do more; 77 percent want civil rights groups to take action, and 75 percent also expect non-Jewish faith leaders to do “somewhat or a lot more” to address the hate aimed at Jews.