Anti-Semitic assaults hit an all-time high in New York and New Jersey in 2021, higher throughout the country

Anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. hit an all-time high in 2021, with the states of New York and New Jersey accounting for nearly 30% of the reported total.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), incidents (being defined as vandalism, harassment, or assault) were up significantly last year. According to the ADL’s annual summary, these incidents are due to pandemic restrictions decreasing and a retaliatory backlash in response to Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in May 2021, NBC 4 New York reported.

The ADL recorded 416 incidents in New York in 2021, including 51 assaults that primarily occurred in Brooklyn. The organization also reported 370 total incidents in New Jersey.

Scott Richman, the regional director for the ADL in New York and New Jersey, said, “The alarming uptick in anti-Semitic incidents in our state should be deeply concerning to all — Jews and those outside of the Jewish community. The fact that these incidents included an unprecedented number of vicious assaults — frequently targeting visibly Jewish individuals on the streets of New York, including young children — is incredibly disturbing.”