The Anti-Defamation League says there were 683 hate crimes against Jews in 2020, more than 2,000 anti-Semitic incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault and 327 cases where synagogues, Jewish community centers and schools were targeted. In late 2021, an American Jewish Committee survey found one in four Jews said they had experienced anti-Semitism in the last year.

The 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh where 11 people were killed was perhaps the most tragic, but just two weeks ago, the Beth Israel Congregation in Colleyville, Texas was attacked and four hostages taken. All four were able to escape.

The number of hate crimes and incidents are actually down, which probably can be attributed to the COVID pandemic, but it still happens way too often.

What's behind the anti-Semitism and what can be done to stop the violence and incidents?

Tuesday's Smart Talk features a conversation with Zev Eleff, the president of Gratz College in Philadelphia and a historian of American Jewish life.

 

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