82% Increase in Antisemitic Incidents in Orange County; California and United States Reach All-Time High in 2021

Orange County and Long Beach see steady increase in antisemitic incidents in recent years with notable increases in attacks against Jewish institutions and schools

Orange County, CA, April 26, 2022 … ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents issued today found that ADL’s Orange County/Long Beach Region witnessed an alarming spike in antisemitic incidents. The audit counted 62 total incidents in the region (from 34 incidents in 2020), including 22 incidents of vandalism of businesses, places of worship, public spaces, schools and 40 incidents of targeted online and in-person harassment. This reflects a 221% increase over the past 4 years.

“The sheer volume antisemitism and bigotry we continue to see in schools is particularly disturbing as hate too often goes unchecked,” Peter Levi, Regional Director of ADL Orange County/Long Beach says.

“Incidents of intimidation like hateful banners and fliers peddling antisemitic propaganda which we have experienced time and time again send a message to the Jewish individuals that they don’t belong there. These acts also serve as doorways to drive people to conspiracy filled websites where recruitment and radicalization happens. We simply will not accept this and continue to fight against hate and bigotry through different measures from education to community engagement.”

Examples showing the breadth of antisemitic incidents in Orange County/Long Beach from 2021:

In January, antisemitic, homophobic and racist messages were etched into a curb in front of a North Orange County elementary school, including the statement “Gas Jews.”
In March, a Jewish elementary school student in Irvine was harassed by a classmate who said: “I wish Hitler was alive to kill you and the rest of the Jews.”
In April, a Jewish elementary school student in Costa Mesa was told by another student, who is not Jewish, that he could not be friends with him because he is Jewish.
In April, a White Lives Matter rally took place in Huntington Beach in addition to other white nationalist meet-ups in August and December.
In April, multiple Jewish graves were desecrated.
In May, Swastika graffiti with profanity were found on a playground slide and wall of a South County elementary school.
In July, a Martin Luther King, Jr. statue was vandalized with a swastika and SS lightning bolts.
In July, a couple was repeatedly harassed by neighbors in their apartment building who made antisemitic remarks such as “F---ing Jewish B---h.”
In September, antisemitic comments were sent in the online chat of a synagogue's livestreamed holiday services, including, among other statements: “Please go back to the oven!”
In September, a tree on a South County public high school's campus was carved with the words “Gas the Jews.”
In September, a Jewish student observance of a religious holiday was ridiculed by their soccer coach and teammates.
In October and December, cars were vandalized with antisemitic symbols.
Throughout the year with peaks in November and December, individuals associated with various antisemitic and white supremacist groups dropped antisemitic and racist banners from an overpasses on the 405 freeway.
In December, a South County public middle school experienced swastika graffiti, student giving Nazi salutes and antisemitic greetings.
Additionally, 2021 saw 20 incidents of white supremacist mass flierings, 7 of which were explicitly antisemitic.

Unfortunately, these incidents are not isolated in this region. The entire state of California saw a substantial increase (27%) in total incidents jumping from 289 to 367 incidents in 2021. While harassment (217) and vandalism (135) saw notable increases of 23% and 25% respectively, ADL is most alarmed by the soaring uptick in antisemitic assaults in the Golden State. We witnessed an increase from 4 to 15 assaults in the state from 2020 to 2021. Many of these attacks took place during the Israel-Hamas conflict of May 2021.

Looking at the United States as a whole, antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in 2021, with a total of 2,717 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism reported to ADL. This represents the highest number of incidents on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979 – an average of more than seven incidents per day and a 34 percent increase year over year.

The audit found that antisemitic incidents reached a high watermark across virtually every category. Attacks against Jewish institutions, including Jewish community centers (JCCs) and synagogues, were up by 61 percent, incidents at K-12 schools increased 106 percent, and incidents on college campuses rose 21 percent.

Assaults – considered the most serious incident type because it involves person-on-person physical violence triggered by antisemitic animus – increased 167 percent, jumping to a total of 88 reports in 2021 from 33 in 2020. Incidents of harassment were up 43 percent, and acts of antisemitic vandalism rose 14 percent.

A substantial surge was reported during the May 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas. There was a staggering 148 percent increase in reports of antisemitic incidents that month when compared in May 2020, as tensions were high and hundreds of anti-Israel protests took place in dozens of U.S. cities. As Jewish individuals were violently beaten in the streets from New York to Los Angeles, a total of 387 incidents were reported that month with 297 of the incidents occurring after May 10, the date marking the official start of military action. [National Graphics below]

How ADL Is Responding

ADL has a comprehensive approach to addressing antisemitic incidents and behavior. This includes prevention efforts through youth education, as well as working to enact laws to improve federal, state, and local prevention tactics and response to antisemitic hate crimes and all forms of hate violence. ADL encourages all members of the public to report incidents of antisemitism directly to us here: Report an Antisemitic, Bias or Discriminatory Incident

ADL provides education and training every day to students, reaching young people at a time when they are most vulnerable to bullying and social pressures. ADL’s No Place for Hate, Peer Leadership Training, and Words to Action programs teach understanding and promote inclusivity in schools and on campuses, respectively. ADL also works with victims and universities to respond to antisemitic harassment and other worrying incidents on college campuses. ADL informs law enforcement of extremist threats and help law enforcement professionals recognize and disrupt potential threats.

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 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 ADL Global 100, Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience, Survey on Jewish Americans’ Experiences with Antisemitism, Murder and Extremism, and the ADL Survey of American Attitudes Toward Jews.

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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