Antisemitic incidents reached record levels in NJ last year, ADL warns in new report

When the Anti-Defamation League released its annual audit of antisemitic incidents on Thursday, it confirmed what many American Jews already felt in their bones: The tide of hate reached historic levels in the U.S. last year, with 3,700 anti-Jewish incidents reported nationally.

New Jersey was no different, with the third-most reports in the U.S. in 2022, up 10% from the prior year.

"The problem is growing and not going away," said Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO and national director of the ADL. "It should be completely unacceptable to all of us."

Nationwide, the number of reported antisemitic incidents, including assault, vandalism and harassment, increased by 36% and represents the highest tally since the organization began tracking acts of hate in 1979.

New Jersey, with 408 reports, trailed only New York state, which had 580, and California, with 518, the Jewish civil rights group said. The ADL recorded 244 incidents of harassment in the Garden State last year, 155 reports of vandalism and nine assaults, according to Thursday's report.

Among those incidents, 120 took place in K-12 schools, 46 in Jewish institutions, 44 at private residences and 37 at business establishments. The remaining 24 incidents were at colleges or online.

The problem has shown no signs of abating. In Bergen County, a school in Westwood reported finding a swastika fashioned out of sticks earlier this month, and Glen Rock authorities said an 11-year-old student was punished in December for scrawling the Nazi symbol on a middle school desk.

Celebrities, social media fuel hate

The rise of antisemitic activity, Greenblatt said, is a manifestation of ugly attitudes that are growing across the country, with social media a ready conduit. He noted that a slew of celebrities, such as Kyrie Irving and Kanye West, have made hateful remarks on social media over the past year that sparked anti-Jewish sentiments among their fans.

From online threats to physical assaults, including a hostage standoff at a Texas synagogue, antisemitic incidents occurred regularly and in every state in America in 2022, the ADL found.

"We are alarmed by another record-setting year for antisemitic incidents in New Jersey, mirroring the trend we saw nationally," said Scott Richman, regional director of the group's New York/New Jersey office. "ADL is working closely with victims, schools, law enforcement, elected officials, and faith and community leaders to combat these record levels of antisemitism."

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New Jersey incidents

Among the New Jersey incidents cited by the group:

• In February, two Orthodox Jews walking to a Lakewood synagogue were deliberately sprayed with snow by a plow operator who was driving by. The driver then posted a clip of the incident online. He was later suspended by his employer.

• In April, a daylong spree of violent assaults again targeted Jews in the Lakewood area. The alleged assailant carjacked a vehicle, rammed it into two cars and then stabbed four people, authorities said.

• In August, an assailant threw a rock at a Jewish person standing in front a Union City synagogue, an assault that was repeated two weeks later. A suspect was apprehended in September.

• In November, the FBI issued a statewide warning after threats to attack synagogues in New Jersey appeared online. A Middlesex County man was later charged with posting the threat.

Ocean County had the highest number of hate crimes against Jews in the state, with 62, followed by 45 in Bergen County and 42 in Monmouth, the ADL said. Incidents were reported in all 21 counties in New Jersey except Salem, according to the ADL.

The Garden State also had the second-highest number of antisemitic bomb threats, 11, one fewer than in New York.

The ADL recorded 17 antisemitic incidents on New Jersey college campuses, including acts of vandalism, harassment and the distribution of offensive literature.

Attacks on Rutgers fraternity

Greenblatt said during an online media conference Thursday that Jewish students have been subjected to an increasingly hostile environment at colleges around the country. He noted reports of swastikas left around campuses, posters proclaiming "'F' the Jews" and the desecration of mezuzot — the ritual objects that many Jews hang on their doorposts.

That some of these acts were done in the guise of criticizing Israeli policies was no excuse, Greenblatt said.

"People are invoking antisemitic rhetoric and intentionally marginalizing Jews with a concerted effort to intimidate them," he said, adding that college leaders need to call out the abuses. "If you are assaulting a Jewish person while decrying the Jewish state, that is hate. That's bigotry and that's antisemitism."

At Rutgers University, the home of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity, was the target of attacks on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and during a Holocaust memorial event in which protesters threw eggs and shouted antisemitic comments at students.

William Paterson University had two incidents of swastika vandalism within two weeks of each other in February 2022.

This year has already had a notorious beginning. In February, a Clifton man was charged with trying to firebomb a Jewish temple in Bloomfield.

Greenblatt urged university leaders, public officials and law enforcement to do more to stem the tide. "We need anti-bias training that includes antisemitism. We need university leaders to respond forcefully. There's a serious threat against Jews in this country. We know that when it targets Jews, it rarely stops there."

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: yellin@northjersey.com

Twitter: @deenayellin

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ antisemitism reached record levels in 2022, ADL report says