N.E. saw rise in antisemitic incidents after Oct. 7

ADL reports that region had highest number of incidents in last 45 years

New England saw a dramatic spike in antisemitic incidents following Hamas’s October attack on Israel, driving the number of incidents in 2023 to levels not seen in more than four decades of tracking, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, released Tuesday, reported 623 occurrences of assault, harassment, and vandalism across the five New England states served by the ADL’s regional office — Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont — marking a 205 percent increase from 2022. Among those events, 351 (44 percent) occurred after Oct. 7, the ADL said.

Connecticut has a separate ADL regional office. The rise in incidents in New England outpaced that of the nation, as the United States saw a 140 percent increase last year compared to 2022, according to the ADL, which began tracking antisemitic activity in 1979.

“The numbers are simply stunning,” Rabbi Ron Fish, the ADL’s interim director for the New England region, said in a statement. “We have observed a significant rise of incidents, followed by a surge, followed now by a tsunami.”

Massachusetts saw the fifth-highest number of incidents nationally, with 440, behind California at 1,266, New York at 1,218, New Jersey at 830, and Florida at 463, the ADL reported. The state had 152 reported episodes in 2022, indicating a nearly 200 percent rise last year.

Among the issues reported in Massachusetts, harassment incidents surged from 66 in 2022 to 293 last year, while vandalism climbed from 82 instances to 139, according to the ADL. Eight assaults were reported, doubling the number from 2022, the ADL said.

Antisemitic events were reported in 127 Massachusetts cities and towns, up from 71 communities in 2022.

The state also saw a dramatic rise in actions tied to extremist groups, up from 28 in 2022 to 115 last year, including white supremacist propaganda distribution, swatting, bomb threats, municipal disruptions, and public demonstrations, the ADL reported.

“Behind each tracked data point is a family, a synagogue, a school, or a child who has been targeted for hate, simply because of their Jewish identity,” Fish said. “This is intolerable in New England as it is anywhere in the country. We call upon everyone who cares about living in a decent society to unite and stop this rise in anti-Jewish hate. Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem. It is a societal problem. We can only solve it together.”

The numbers also climbed in other New England states. The ADL reported 53 antisemitic incidents in Maine in 2023, up from 13 the prior year; Rhode Island had 52, but just 19 in 2022; Vermont had 43, up from six in 2022; and New Hampshire had 35, an increase from 14 in 2022.

Across New England, antisemitic incidents increased at Jewish schools and institutions and at non-Jewish K-12 schools and college campuses, as well as in public areas, private businesses, and at homes, the ADL said.

There were 101 antisemitic incidents reported last year at non-Jewish K-12 schools in New England, up from 53 in 2022, while college campuses saw incidents rise from 15 in 2022 to 81 last year, the organization reported.

“The near doubling of incidents in K-12 schools, ranging from antisemitic graffiti and taunts, harassment and bullying on playgrounds, in the classroom and on athletic fields, is a grim reminder of the need to ensure that these schools are safe and welcoming for all students,” the ADL said. “Incidents, such as a Jewish student from UMass Amherst being punched on campus while holding an Israeli flag in the fall of 2023, add to the growing concern for student safety across the region.”