Antisemitic incident reports in US surged 360% after Oct. 7 Hamas attack

Reports of antisemitic incidents in the United States surged by 360% after Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.

From Oct. 7 to Jan. 7, the Anti-Defamation League recorded reports of 3,283 antisemitic incidents, which is a 360% increase from the same time period a year before, in which 712 incidents occurred, the advocacy group said Tuesday.

More than 500 incidents occurred on college campuses and over 240 were in K-12 schools, according to the report. Additionally, the group recorded 60 physical assault incidents and more than 550 vandalism incidents. 

With the exception of 2022, when reported incidents hit a historic high, the number of incidents in the three months since Oct. 7 have surpassed ADL reports for any year in the past decade. 

"The American Jewish community is facing a threat level that’s now unprecedented in modern history," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.

"In this difficult moment, antisemitism is spreading and mutating in alarming ways," he said. "This onslaught of hate includes a dramatic increase in fake bomb threats that disrupt services at synagogues and put communities on edge across the country."

The incidents come after Hamas and other terror groups invaded Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 others. Israel responded militarily, and the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatant and civilian fatalities, says more than 22,000 deaths have occurred since Oct. 7.

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