Results of a study released Thursday by the Anti-Defamation League indicate that widespread belief in anti-Semitic tropes has reached rates “unseen for decades.”
Along with the ADL, the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) and the One8 Foundation worked on a year-long study regarding anti-Semitism. Recent results are from a survey over 4,000 individuals in September and October and the indicate that belief in anti-Semitic tropes has doubled since 2019.
Last April, the ADL announced that anti-Semitic incidents had reached an all-time high in the U.S. during 2021. Overall, 2,717 incidents were reported, representing a 34% increase over the previous year.
Late last year, anti-Semitism made headlines when rapper Kanye West (also known as Ye), made anti-Semitic comments on social media. After making these comments, he lost brand deals and was dropped by the CAA talent agency.
There have already been several incidents reported this year, per the ADL. Last week, 1010 WINS reported that police identified the man who they say attacked a Jewish man in Central Park in December while yelling anti-Semitic slurs and referencing Ye.
According to the ADL, around 85% of Americans now believe at least one anti-Jewish trope, opposed to 61% in 2019. While 11% of people surveyed in 2019 believed in six or more tropes, that percentage is now around 20%, equal to approximately 52 million people. About 8 million people believe in all 11 tropes identified by the ADL, “more than the number of Jews in the United States,” according to the organization.
One of the most commonly believed tropes is that Jewish people “stick together more than others do,” – 70% of respondents agreed with the statement. Additionally, more than half (53%) of Americans said they think Jewish people go out of their way to hire other Jews.
Some anti-Semitic tropes are connected to Israel, according to the ADL. Nearly 40% of Americans said they believe Jewish people are more loyal to Israel than they are to the U.S. Others are connected to the economy, with 20% of people surveyed supported several statements relating to Jewish people “being too powerful in business and Wall Street.”
Even though young adults age 18 to 30 showed less belief in anti-Jewish tropes (18% believe in six or more tropes compared to 20% of older adults) this generational difference is “substantially less,” than it has been in previous studies. Young adults also hold “significantly more anti-Israel sentiment than older adults,” said the ADL.
According to the organization, the report indicates that anti-Semitic attitudes in the U.S. are both widespread and increasing. Over the coming months, the ADL plans to release more findings from the national survey.
This Sunday is the one-year anniversary of the incident at a synagogue In Colleyville, Texas, where a gunman held people hostage for 10 hours. The hostages were able to make it out alive.
“As we commemorate the anniversary on Sunday, we must remember that hope is an essential tool in the fight against #antisemitism,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in a tweet this week.
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