Press Release
On Thursday, March 23rd, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released their 2022 Audit of anti-Semitic incidents. In the US, these incidences rose 36% from 2021 to 2022. The Southeast Region also saw an increase of 121%, with South Carolina reporting a 193% increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents year over year.
“Whether you're Jewish or not, the ongoing rise of anti-Semitic incidents in our region and nation should concern you,” said Eytan Davidson, ADL Southeast's Regional Director. “We know trends like this signal increased bigotry overall, and that's a reality that threatens the well-being and security in every community. It's incumbent upon us all to combat hate together, especially when we see extremist activity on the rise.”
In fact, the biggest single source for the increase in anti-Semitic incidents across the country in 2022 was activity organized by right-wing extremist and white supremacist groups. These groups were behind 945 incidents nationally – nearly twice as many as in 2021. Of the incidents in the Southeast region, 110 of them (or more than 57 percent) were extremist related.
As the Jewish Federations of South Carolina, we see how these numbers play out within our communities. Our communities have experienced these anti-Semitic incidents in our K-12 schools and on our college campuses. Anti-Semitic flyers distributed by white supremacist organizations have been found in hundreds of residential driveways and we face persistent threats to our Jewish communal institutions and organizations.
Your Jewish Federations of South Carolina are proactively responding to these increases in antisemitism through Holocaust education and antisemitism trainings in our schools, community security enhancements in coordination with Secure Community Network (SCN), direct collaboration with Anti-Defamation League, and local, state and national advocacy.
What can you do?
1) Reach out to your South Carolina Senator and push them to take action on H.3014, the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act. Do so instantly by using our legislative contact tool at bit.ly/stampouthate.
2) Report an anti-Semitic, bias or discriminatory incident using the Joint Reporting Tool: https://www.jewishcharleston.org/incidentreporting. This report will be sent directly to ADL, Charleston Jewish Federation, and Secure Community Network.
3) Access ADL's curriculum on anti-bias education.
4) If you are a Jewish community leader in South Carolina, register for our upcoming statewide symposium on antisemitism, One Voice: Jewish SC, featuring resources from Secure Community Network, ADL, and Jewish Federations of North America here.
Jewish Federations of South Carolina are a coalition of three South Carolina Jewish Federations which operate as hubs of their Jewish communities. This coalition includes Charleston Jewish Federation, Columbia Jewish Federation, and Greenville Jewish Federation, who collectively serve all of South Carolina's Jewish residents.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is the first call when acts of antisemitism occur. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL's ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. You can learn more at www.adl.org.
