In an alarming trend that has rattled New England, antisemitic incidents have soared to record-breaking levels with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) outlining a distressing 205% jump in such events throughout 2023. The ADL, which has been monitoring these occurrences for the past 45 years, described the last year's spike as a "tsunami" of hate against Jewish people. This surge saw the number of reported assaults, harassments, and acts of vandalism climb to a disturbing 623 incidents in the New England region, as reported by NBC Boston.
Moving sharply past the national increase rate, the scale of this uptick has left communities grappling with the rampant spread of bigotry and fear. Following the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, a dramatic spike in antisemitic actions was specifically noted. In Massachusetts alone, almost tripling from 152 incidents in 2022, the state experienced 440 occurrences, representing a near 200 percent increase and the fifth highest nationally. Along with the Bay State, other New England states reported grave increments, with Maine documenting 53 incidents, New Hampshire 35, Rhode Island 52, and Vermont 43, each marking significant year over year increases, detailed by Boston Herald.
The New England region's spike overshadowed a substantial 140 percent rise in reported antisemitic activities across the United States. Nationally, the ADL recorded 8,873 incidents in 2023, making it the highest recorded since the organization began its tracking efforts in 1979. Rabbi Ron Fish, ADL New England's interim regional director, was quoted by The Boston Globe stating, "Behind each tracked data point is a family, a synagogue, a school, or a child who has been targeted for hate, simply because of their Jewish identity." Rabbi Fish also called for unity against this surge in anti-Jewish hate, underscoring it as a wider societal issue.
In the breakdown of the incidents, Massachusetts saw a disturbing trend of harassment acts, with a stark increase from 66 to 293 from 2022 to 2023, while vandalism surged by 70%. Assaults in the state also doubled from 4 to 8 within the span of a year. Incidents connected to extremist groups spiked from 28 to 115, including the distribution of white supremacist propaganda, swatting, bomb threats, and other hateful demonstrations. These incidents took various forms, causing widespread concern across communities, impacting Jewish schools and institutions, other K-12 schools, college campuses, private businesses, and residential spaces. The numbers highlighted by NBC Boston pointed to a tenfold jump in bomb threats across Jewish institutions in the U.S.
With antisemitism now baked into the fabric of New England society, the ADL has urged for immediate and robust countermeasures. According to the Boston Herald, the organization is calling on government leaders to create state-level counterparts of the White House's National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This national framework aims to tackle antisemitic behavior stemming from across the political spectrum, showcasing an urgent need for coordinated responses to address what has developed into a critically pervasive issue.
