The U.S. has experienced a spate of violent anti-Semitic attacks since Israel and Hamas began fighting again.
Tensions in the middle east between Israel and Hamas reached a boiling point earlier this month when the two sides fought in a conflict lasting 11 days that claimed the lives of more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis, according to AP News. Both sides have agreed to a ceasefire since May 10. The conflict has stoked a wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S., reports NPR News.
“The latest rise in antisemitism is disgusting and deeply troubling,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson wrote in a May 26 Twitter post. “It has no place in our city or in our society. Be an upstander, not a bystander. Stand up against hate.”
Within the first seven days of fighting, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) counted nearly 200 reports of possible anti-Semitic violence and a spike in anti-Semitic hate comments on social media.
“As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate,” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL’s CEO, said in a statement. “It’s happening around the world— from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like NYC and in small towns, and across every social media platform.”
Though a ceasefire is in place, several notable Jewish organizations in the U.S. warn that the fallout could last a very long time.
“The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable, and they must stop,” President Joe Biden wrote in a May 24 Twitter post. “I condemn this hateful behavior at home and abroad — it’s up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor.”
The recent conflict has exacerbated what was already a growing problem. For 2019, the ADL recorded over 2,100 cases of crimes against Jews, the highest number on record since the tracking began in 1979.
Muslims in the U.S. have also reported a rise in hate crimes within the past month as a result of the conflict.
