PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Antisemitic incidents are on the rise for the fourth straight year, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The anti-hate organization’s annual audit found Pennsylvania and New Jersey were among the states with the most incidents.
Nationally, the ADL said 2024 saw 9,354 incidents of antisemitic assault, vandalism or harassment — the most since it began tracking in 1979. The audit also found that more than half of these incidents were related to Israel or Zionism.
Pennsylvania had the fourth-most incidents across the U.S., with 465 last year — a 308% jump from 2022. New Jersey ranked third with 719 reported incidents, but South Jersey saw only a marginal increase from 2023 to 2024.
“Behind every number is a personal story,” said Andrew Goretsky, regional director of the Philadelphia ADL office. “These aren’t just statistics. They’re our neighbors, our friends and our family members.”
College campuses were among the locations with the largest increase — 84% — in antisemitic incidents from 2023 to 2024. At schools like Penn and Drexel, there were large protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Goretsky said the ADL looked at about 5,000 anti-Israel rallies but only included those that went too far.
“It is not inherently antisemitic to be critical of Israel, but when you are using antisemitic tropes and antisemitic conspiracy theories to be critical of Israel, that crosses a line,” he explained. “We don’t include criticism of Israel or criticism of the Israeli government in our audit. It’s only when things rise to being antisemitic that we include it in the audit.
“There are ways to exercise your free speech rights and have your voice be heard without vandalizing, harassing and doing any sort of violent act.”
In Pennsylvania, 72% of the incidents were categorized as harassment and 25% as vandalism. Making up the remaining 2% were assaults. While there were only 12, that number is more than double the number of antisemitic assaults from the year before.
📲 Read the full report on Pennsylvania and New Jersey here
📲 Read the national ADL audit here
Anger at Israel is the driving force behind antisemitism in US, report finds
In its national report, the ADL said the number of antisemitic incidents in the United States reached a record high last year and noted that 58% of the 9,354 incidents were related to Israel, notably chants, speeches and signs at rallies protesting Israeli policies.
The ADL said it’s the first time Israel-related incidents — 5,422 of them in 2024 — comprised more than half the total. A key reason is the widespread opposition to Israel’s military response in Gaza after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Beyond the Israel-related incidents, these were among the other findings in the ADL report:
— The total number of antisemitic incidents in 2024 was up by 344% from five years ago.
— 196 incidents, targeting more than 250 people, were categorized as assault; none of these assaults were fatal.
— 2,606 incidents were categorized as vandalism. Swastikas were present in 37% of these cases.
— There were 647 bomb threats, most of them targeting synagogues.
— Antisemitic incidents occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 10% of the incidents occurred in New York City.
— There were 962 “antisemitic propaganda incidents” linked to white supremacist groups. Three groups — Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League, and the White Lives Matter network — were responsible for 94% of this activity.
The ADL says its annual report tallies criminal and noncriminal acts of harassment, vandalism and assault against individuals and groups as reported to the ADL by victims, law enforcement, the media and partner organizations, and then evaluated by ADL experts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.