ADL reports record-high number of antisemitic incidents in New England
A new report from the Anti-Defamation League shows that a record-high number of antisemitic incidents in New England were recorded in 2023.
The report comes after the New Hampshire attorney general office said there has been an uptick in reports of attacks against other minority groups.
The ADL found that 623 antisemitic incidents of assault, harassment or vandalism were reported in New England last year, more than triple the number reported in 2022.
The group reported a spike of 351 antisemitic acts in the region following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
The Jewish advocacy group's annual audit recorded more than 8,800 antisemitic incidents nationwide last year. That's up 140 percent from 2022.
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In New Hampshire, the ADL found a 150% increase in antisemitic incidents over the past year.
The attorney general's office said that over the past year or so, officials have seen the number of complaints for hate crimes and civil rights violations going up.
Officials said that in 2019, the civil rights unit received about 40 complaints from people reporting hate-motivated crimes. In 2023, the office received about 200 complaints, and they said antisemitism and other bias crimes often go together.
"A lot of times, anti-LGBTQ bias can be infected with antisemitism. Racial biases can be infected with antisemitism at the same time," said Senior Assistant Attorney General Sean Locke. "(Hate) groups blame Jews and the Jewish community for the ills that they believe those other groups have caused. They go hand-in-hand a lot of times."
The New Hampshire Department of Safety is hosting a community forum Thursday morning in Keene to give people a chance to hear from those responding to the rise in targeted attacks.
The forum “Combating Hate Crimes in Cheshire County” will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Michael E.J. Blastos Community Room at 400 Marlboro St. in Keene.