WASHINGTON, D.C. (WGHP) — There’s been a “disturbing” increase in antisemitism across North Carolina, according to the ADL.
The Anti-Defamation League released their annual “Audit of Antisemitic Incidents” on Thursday and according to the report, North Carolina has shown a 30% increase from 2021 to 2022.
“Nationally, antisemitic incidents in 2022 surged to the highest levels ever recorded, with a total of 3,697 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism reported to ADL. This represents an increase of 36 percent compared to 2021 – also a record-setting year – an average of more than ten incidents per day,” the release said.
According to the ADL, 39 antisemitic incidents were reported in North Carolina in 2022, compared to the 30 incidents reported in 2021. These mark a huge spike from 13 incidents reported in 2020. North Carolina had, according to the ADL, the 23rd-highest number of antisemitic incidents in 2022.
These break down as:
- 28 incidents of harassment, which is up from 16 incidents in 2021, a 75% increase.
- 10 incidents of vandalism, which is down from 14 reports in 2021, marking a 29% increase
- 1 reported assault, up from 0 in 2021.
“We are deeply troubled by the surge in antisemitic incidents reported in North Carolina in 2022,” said Meredith R. Weisel, the ADL regional director, in the press release. “The surges in organized white supremacist propaganda activity like banner drops and flyer distribution, and significant increases in antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools and on college campuses, all contributed to these unusually high numbers. We must work together to combat the spread of bigotry and hate in our communities.”
ADL’s full Audit of Antisemitic Incidents can be found here.
Kathy Manning, a Democrat representing North Carolina’s 6th district, who co-chairs the House Task Force for Combating Antisemitism released a statement along with New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, reacting to the sharp increase in antisemitism reported across the state and nation.
“Jewish communities in America and around the world are under threat, facing a chilling onslaught of antisemitic hate and violence,” Manning said. “We must utilize the full powers of our government to confront antisemitism and put a stop to the rise in hate and violence.”
She also praised the Biden administration’s formation of the Interagency Group to Counter Antisemitism.
“Jewish communities today are facing violent attacks that are unparalleled since the dark days of World War II,” Smith said. “Antisemitism won’t go away by ignoring or wishing it away—it must be defeated. Now more than ever, people of conscience must come together to defeat this pernicious hatred in all of its evil forms wherever it exists.”
So far in 2023, Boone Police Department received reports of a man waving a flag with swastikas on it near a temple in town. The flag was recovered and police have asked for help identifying the man responsible.
The ADL maintains a HEAT Map that tracks not only antisemitism but other hate-based incidents across the United States, and mapping that data over the past several years has shown a steep increase not just in antisemitism but other types of hate in North Carolina.
