27% Of NY's Antisemitic Incidents In 2020 Happened In BK: Data

BROOKLYN, NY — Brooklyn was home to more than a quarter of antisemitic incidents that happened last year in New York, which once again led the country as the state with the highest number of incidents, according to a new study.

The Anti-Defamation League's annual audit of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault in the United States, released Tuesday, unveiled that 69 percent of the hundreds of antisemitic incidents in New York in 2020 took place in New York City.

Brooklyn, with 90 of the 230 New York City incidents, had as many as 10 times more incidents than the other four boroughs, according to the study.

New York as a whole saw 336 incidents, a 22 percent drop from 2019, but still the highest in the country.

“While it is always a welcome sign to see a decline in reported antisemitic incidents, the sad reality is that even with social distancing and physical separation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, antisemitic incidents continued to occur at near historic levels, with many incidents happening online,” said Scott Richman, Regional Director, ADL New York/New Jersey.

“As the data shows us, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to combat antisemitic words, behaviors, attitudes and actions in order to stem the rising tide of hate directed towards the Jewish community.”

New York continues to lead nation with 336 reported antisemitic incidents in 2020, despite an overall 22% drop relative to 2019. Read more about the 2020 #ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in #NY here: https://t.co/GhvQ3drHI5 pic.twitter.com/P3Jlwd6btN
— ADL New York / New Jersey (@ADL_NYNJ) April" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/ADL_NYNJ/s... 27, 2021

The New York numbers come as antisemitic incidents across the United States remained at historically high levels last year. There was a total of 2,024 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism reported across the country, making 2020 the third-highest year for reported antisemitic incidents since ADL started tracking such data in 1979, according to the organization.

In New York, there were 171 incidents of vandalism, 153 incidents of harassment and 12 incidents of assault recorded during the year.

All but one of the assaults reported happened in Brooklyn, which "continues to be a hotspot for antisemitic activity," the study found.

Though high, the total number of Brooklyn incidents was a 40-percent drop from the previous year for the borough.

The number of assaults across New York was a 66 percent drop from the year before, likely because of the city's shutdown during the coronavirus crisis. Most of the incidents reported last year happened in the first three months of 2020 before the height of the pandemic, researchers said.

On the other hand, 14 incidents in New York last year happened over Zoom, including nine involving a swastika. In all, antisemitic incidents against Jewish institutions spiked 76 percent between 2020 and 2019, the study found.

Here's a look at the geographical breakdown:

• Manhattan: 82
• Brooklyn: 90
• Queens: 24
• Bronx: 9
• Staten Island: 25
• Long Island: 56 [Nassau: 36; Suffolk: 20]
• Westchester: 18
• Rockland: 4
• Upstate: 28

Find the full New York report here.