The Anti-Defamation League released its annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents on October 4, 2011.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) founded in 1913 is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all while it advocates for Israel with policymakers, the media and the public and defends the security of Israel and Jews worldwide.
The audit recorded 1,239 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States in 2010, which represents a 2.3% increase over 2009.
These included:
• 22 physical assaults on Jewish individuals;
• 900 cases of anti-Semitic harassment, threats and events;
• 317 cases of anti-Semitic vandalism.
The 2010 Audit comprises incidents from 45 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL's regional offices by victims, law enforcement offices and community leaders and members.
The 2.3% increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents follows several years of decline. Although no single factor explains this slight increase, it occurs within the context of the continued expansion of online anti-Semitism and hate. While, on the one hand, this provides an outlet for people who may have otherwise expressed themselves in non-virtual environments, on the other hand this may be leading to a coarsening of attitudes and beliefs that has infected real world behavior.
The Audit encompasses criminal acts, such as vandalism, violence, and threats of violence, as well as non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation. The latter is comprised primarily of hate propaganda, leafleting and verbal slurs. The Audit does not include the thousands of anti-Semitic events and expressions occurring in cyberspace, as it is virtually impossible to quantify.
.Continuing a longtime trend, the states with the highest totals were those with large Jewish populations. The top four states were California, with 297 incidents in 2010, up from 275 in 2009; New York, with 205 incidents, down from 209; New Jersey, with 130 incidents, down from 132; and Florida, with 116 incidents, up from 90.
According to the ADL Audit, other states with double-digit totals in 2010 include Massachusetts (64, up from 55 in 2009); Pennsylvania (42, down from 65 in 2009); Colorado (38, up from 14); Connecticut (38, up from 24); and Texas (37, up from 28).
