In Fact, The Empire State Had More Such Incidents Than Any Other State

July 22, 2013 7:06 PM

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — New statistics Monday said the number of anti-Semitic incidents jumped in New York State last year, and the state ranks at the top of the nation for such acts.

There were 248 anti-Semitic incidents statewide in 2012, compared with 195 incidents the year before, according to an audit by the Anti-Defamation League. A total of 172 incidents happened within the five boroughs of New York City, compared with 127 in 2011, the statistics said.

“While the great majority of Jewish New Yorkers feel comfortable and safe in their respective communities, it is nevertheless disturbing that we saw almost a 30 percent uptick in the total number of anti-Semitic incidents across the state,” ADL Acting New York Regional Director Etzion Neuer said in a news release. “Though we did see a decrease in harassment and threats, the sharp increase of anti-Semitic vandalism incidents is a reminder that we are still not immune to anti-Semitism.”

The ADL said Brooklyn had the greatest number of anti-Semitic incidents last year, with a total of 87. Manhattan saw 44 such incidents, Queens 30, the Bronx 11, and Staten Island nine.

The ADL report included details of some of the most egregious alleged incidents last year. Among them were a July 25 incident in Manhattan in which a Jewish educational institution received voice mails saying a nuclear Holocaust was coming and threatening to “execute all Jews,” and an incident at the Kingston Avenue subway station in Brooklyn in which someone spray-painted, “The world would be much better off if all of the Jews were lampshades.”

Nationwide, the ADL audit found a total of 927 anti-Semitic incidents in 2012, including 17 physical assaults, 470 acts of harassment, and 440 incidences of vandalism.