Anti-Semitic Crime Numbers Surge, Philly Expert Weighs In On Why

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- From tombstone vandalism, to harassment, and threats Anti-Semitic hate crimes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey see a double digit surge according to a national audit, and a local expert weighs in about the possible reasons behind the uptick.

Jeremy Bannett with the The Anti-Defamation League says in 2016 there was a 34 percent jump in Anti-Semitic hate crimes around the country.

"We've had a 14 percent increase in New Jersey, and a 56 percent increase in Pennsylvania," said Bannett.

ALSO READ: New Survey Finds 65 Percent Of Us Are Losing Sleep For The Same Reason

He says the numbers for this year are on pace to surpass 2016.

Bannett says that over the years, they've noticed several reasons for upticks in Anti-Semitic hate crimes.

"We've found that at times of political uncertainty, social unrest, down turns in the economy, or when Isreal's involved in a major war that sort of thing, that Anti-Semitic incidents tend to spike," he said.

Bannett adds that the ADL has tracked Anti-Semitic crimes across the country since 1979, and the most violent year to date was 1994 where there were 2,066 incidents.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.