Audit finds marked increase in antisemitic incidents

According to a new report released April 16 by the Anti-Defamation League, 2023 had the most reported incidents of antisemitism nationwide since the organization began tracking incidents of antisemitism in 1979.

Last year, there were 8,873 reported incidents of antisemitism nationwide, which the organization averages to one incident every hour. 

The Pacific Northwest was no exception. In Idaho, Montana, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon, the group reported there were 370 reported incidents of antisemitism in 2023, up from 130 in the year before.

“These statistics, I just want to remind people are not just numbers, they represent individuals, families, and have a clear ripple effect on all of our communities,” said Miri Cypers, who is the Pacific Northwest regional director for the Anti-Defamation League. When presenting these findings in a virtual conference, Cypers shared how her own synagogue on Mercer Island in Washington was vandalized last November. 

In Washington state alone, the Anti-Defamation League found there were 190 reported incidents of antisemitism in 2023, which is more than double the number in 2022. Most of these were classified as harassment. 

Cypers shared how the state will work to address the problem, using a recently signed law that will establish a reporting hotline for incidents of bias in the coming years.

“We’re really excited to be able to have a reporting mechanism that will be a statewide resource for Washingtonians to be able to call,” Cypers said. 

Oregon established its reporting hotline for such incidents in 2019. That state also had an increase in reported incidents of antisemitism from 40 in 2022 to 124 in 2023.

At the virtual conference presenting the report on April 16, an attendee asked what is specifically considered antisemitism and referred to whether some might consider the pro-Palestine protests at the Sea-Tac International Airport on April 15 antisemitic. At that protest, 46 people were arrested, accused of blocking the expressway to the airport.

“If there is a protest that is based on free speech, protesting politics, or a policy or a government, that is not something that we would include in our audit of antisemitic incidents,” Cypers said. 

However, Cypers explained that sometimes the organization sees what they classify as antisemitic incidents at protests.