A shocking increase in antisemitic assaults in Los Angeles; targeted spreading of antisemitic and white supremacist propaganda remains alarmingly high.
Los Angeles, CA, March 23, 2023 … ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents issued today found that in 2022, the Jewish community of Los Angeles experienced 237 recorded incidents (up 30% from 182 incidents in 2021), including 143 incidents of harassment (up 38% from 104 in 2021), 86 incidents of vandalism of businesses, places of worship, and schools(up from 64 in 2021) and 8 incidents of assault (down from 14 in 2021).
“These record-setting figures make clear that there has not just been a surge of antisemitism, there is an unfortunate and unmistakable trendline that antisemitism is deeply embedded and growing in every part of society,” ADL Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey I. Abrams said.
This unfortunate trend has been increasing for years. Since 2017, total antisemitic incidents in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Kern Counties which makes up the ADL Los Angeles region have more than tripled, from 84 to 237. In 2022, acts of harassment alone increased by 37.5%, including 38 incidents by extremists who have sought to instill fear and intimidate Jews and other marginalized communities through repeated flyering and banner drops with antisemitic messages in neighborhoods throughout the four-county region. These incendiary words can and do incite real-life hatred against Jews.
In fact, the hip-hop artist Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) was directly referenced in 59 incidents nationally, an example of how his highly publicized antisemitic statements last year resonated with or motivated perpetrators.
“This normalization of antisemitism is directly connected to the recent shootings of two orthodox Jewish men in Pico-Robertson in February of this year, which sent shockwaves through the community,” Abrams continues. “This further demonstrates the critical need for the work of ADL, and all its partners, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to rally and speak out, share facts and show strength in the face of antisemitism.”
Examples of incidents from 2022 in the Greater Los Angeles Area:
- Starting in January and occurring on a monthly, if not weekly, basis, there have been antisemitic and conspiratorial flyers tossed into the yards and driveways of homes throughout the ADL LA region, including neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles, Whittier, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Torrance, and elsewhere.
- At the end of February, graffiti that included a swastika and “Adolf” was painted on the side of a pharmacy.
- In April, a group of students at a Temecula high school gave a Jewish classmate a pile of papers that had a swastika written on each piece of paper. This was followed by a Snapchat video with the caption “The Jew reacts” of the Jewish student paging through the pile of swastikas.
- In May, at least five synagogues reported receiving an antisemitic phone call in which the caller said, “Gas the Jews” and “Heil Hitler.”
- In July, an individual approached their Jewish neighbor and stated, “You f*****s should have burned a long time ago,” and physically pushed the victim.
- In August, a Jewish institution received an email stating that bombs had been planted at the facility to “kill Jews.”
- In September someone smashed a window at a synagogue in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of LA and made antisemitic comments to a witness.
- In October members of a well-known antisemitic extremist network hung banners from an overpass over the 405 freeway in Los Angeles that stating: “Honk if you know Kanye was right about the Jews”.
- In October several billboards around Los Angeles, including in the Fairfax neighborhood, were vandalized with very large stickers stating: “ZIONIST JEWS CONTROL AMERICA.”
- In November, an unhoused Jewish individual was reportedly assaulted by someone who told him to remove his kippah (head covering worn by observant Jews) and asked him how he felt about Kanye West. (See ADL report tracking incidents related to Ye.)
- In December, a high school student in San Bernardino County was bullied by other students who said “f*** all Jews” and “we pray hitler comes back and will kill all of you,” as well as “Kanye was right” and “Kanye is the new Hitler.” The bullying escalated to physical pushing.
California and Beyond
Unfortunately, these incidents are not isolated to Los Angeles. California had the second highest number of recorded incidents (518) just after New York with 580 incidents. California saw 327 incidents of harassment (up 51% from 217 incidents in 2021), 178 incidents of vandalism and a shocking 13 assaults.
Nationally, antisemitic incidents surged to historic levels in 2022, with a total of 3,697 incidents reported across the United States, an increase of 36 percent compared to 2021 – also a record-setting year. ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents found, on average, 10 incidents for each day in 2022 – the highest level of antisemitic activity since ADL started tracking incidents in 1979 – this is consistent with the steady increase of hate and vitriol directed against the American Jewish community that we have seen in recent years. This is the third time in the past five years that the year-end total has been the highest number ever recorded.
Methodology
The ADL Audit includes both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs, as well as vandalism and assault. Compiled using information provided by victims, law enforcement and community leaders, and evaluated by ADL’s professional staff, the Audit provides a regular snapshot of one specific aspect of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported. This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.
The complete dataset for antisemitic incidents for 2016-2022 is available on ADL’s H.E.A.T. Map, an interactive online tool that allows users to geographically chart antisemitic incidents and extremist activity.
The Audit offers a snapshot of one of the ways American Jews encounter antisemitism, but a full understanding of antisemitism in the U.S. requires other forms of analysis as well, including public opinion polling, assessments of online antisemitism and examinations of extremist activity, all of which ADL offers in other reports, such as the ADL Survey of American Attitudes Toward Jews, Survey on Jewish Americans’ Experiences with Antisemitism, ADL Global 100, Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience, Murder and Extremism and White Supremacist Propaganda.
ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is the first call when acts of antisemitism occur. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. More at www.adl.org.
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