Eighteen anti-Semitic incidents were reported in Colorado in 2015, eight more than the previous year, according to data released Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League.
The number of incidents had been on the decline in the past decade, said Scott L. Levin, the group’s mountain states regional director, and the increase is troubling.
“While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause for the increase,” Levin said. “The abysmal state of public discourse in the country has allowed many forms of hate and bigotry to rear their ugly heads, creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust.”
The data showed 15 cases of harassment and threats in Colorado, two cases of vandalism and one assault on a Jewish individual, according to the news release.
The Anti-Defamation League has been tracking anti-Semitic incidents since 1979. During the past decade, the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents peaked at 1,554 in 2006 and has been mostly on the decline since, the release said.
Colorado mirrored a national increase: There were 941 incidents in the U.S. in 2015, which is an increase of about 3 percent from 2014, according to the release.
The national data showed 56 incidents of assault, but there were only 36 reports in 2014. The number of incidents at colleges and universities increased significantly. A total of 90 incidents were reported on 60 college campuses in 2015, compared with 47 incidents on 43 campuses in 2014. Campus anti-Semitic incidents accounted for 10 percent of the total incidents reported in the U.S. in 2015, the release said.
“We are disturbed that violent anti-Semitic incidents are rising,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League CEO. “And we know that for every incident reported, there’s likely another that goes unreported. So even as the total incidents have remained statistically steady from year to year, the trend toward anti-Semitic violence is very concerning.”
