Anti-semitic incidents in US hit two-decade high
Is the rise of Trump and the alt-right to blame for a 57% spike in cases?
Anti-semitic incidents in the US reached their highest level in more than two decades last year, with many blaming far-right white supremacists emboldened by Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric.
The Anti-Defamation League says nearly 2,000 cases of anti-semitic harassment, vandalism and physical assault were recorded in 2017, the highest number of cases since 1994.
That was a 57% rise on 2016, the largest year-on-year increase since the Jewish civil rights group began collecting data in 1979.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
ADL’s national director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said the rise comes amid a climate of rising incivility, the emboldening of hate groups and widening divisions in American society.
“A confluence of events in 2017 led to a surge in attacks on our community – from bomb threats, cemetery desecrations, white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, and children harassing children at school,” he added.
“Donald Trump’s administration has been accused of failing to condemn religious bigotry,” says The Guardian, citing condemnation from Jewish groups for not mentioning anti-semitism in statements about the Holocaust.
Trump was also criticised for his response to violence at a rally in Charlottesville last August where neo-Nazi white supremacists clashed with counter-demonstrators, one of whom was killed. The President suffered a serious backlash when he suggested moral equivalency between the two groups.
Of biggest concern is the explosion of hate crime in schools and on campuses. Anti-semitic activity in schools across the US doubled last year while a separate ADL study published last month found a 250% increase in white supremacist activity over the past academic year on college campuses.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
FBI: US violent crime falls again, hits pre-Covid levels
Speed Read A wide-ranging report found that violent crime dropped 3% in the last year, while murder dropped 11.6%
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge rejects Trump bid to make NY case federal
Speed Read Judge Alvin Hellerstein refused Trump's motion to transfer his criminal case to federal court
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump ally Bannon reports to prison
Speed Read He will serve a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump won't testify as trial enters final phase
Speed Read Despite his public insistence on testifying, Trump's defense team called two witnesses, "neither of them the former president"
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump hush money trial: what has the jury heard?
Today's Big Question Former loyal fixer Michael Cohen proves star witness for prosecution, but Stormy Daniels's graphic testimony could offer grounds for appeal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
New York prosecutors lay out case against Trump
Speed Read The former president's first criminal trial started in earnest Monday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mobsters jailed by Giuliani are 'thrilled' with his RICO prosecution. Former fans are sad.
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published