Anti-Defamation League Connecticut reports alarming jump in antisemitic incidents as NJ FBI issues warning to local synagogues

Some Connecticut residents say the threat is not a surprise after the recent incidents involving Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving and rapper formerly known as Kanye West, for speaking and sharing antisemitic rhetoric.

News 12 Staff

Nov 4, 2022, 2:13 AM

Updated 758 days ago

Share:

The FBI's Newark Field Office alerted synagogues in New Jersey to take all security precautions Thursday night, after they received credible information of a broad threat to places of worship in the state.
Some Connecticut residents say the threat is not a surprise after the recent incidents involving Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving and rapper formerly known as Kanye West, for speaking and sharing antisemitic rhetoric.
Across the country, there's been a 34% jump in antisemitic incidents from 2021 to 2020, the highest number on record since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking them in 1979.
In Connecticut, the ADL says the Jewish community has experienced an alarming number of threats and has seen a 42% increase in antisemitic incidents.
"ADL's main message is to remain calm. The Jewish community has been prepared for a long time with security 24/7 and with the increasing amount of antisemitic and hate rhetoric in the public at this point, it's not a surprise that threats might turn into actual physical acts," said Stacey Sobel, director of ADL's Connecticut Regional Office.
As the ADL reports, there's been a rise in antisemitic incidents in Connecticut. Just on Sunday in Trumbull, a swastika and other offensive messages were found spray painted in red inside a parking lot.
Sobel says incidents like that don't just impact the Jewish community, but everyone.
"These kinds of hateful graffiti are an attack on the entire community. Not just the Jewish community, they engender fear and make people uncomfortable," said Sobel. "It's really important for community members to stand up and speak up."