Total of antisemitic incidents in Indiana rises in 2023, report says
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Antisemitic incidents were up 88% across the Midwest from 2022 to 2023, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League.
Indiana reported 33 antisemitic incidents in 2022 and a total of 59 in 2023, a 79% increase.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports a 293% increase in antisemitic incidents over the last five years in Indiana.
“ADL has been tracking antisemitic incidents since 1979 and quite frankly we’ve never seen it this bad,” said David Goldenberg, Midwest regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Goldenberg says more antisemitic incidents happened in the Midwest between the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the end of 2023 than in all of 2022.
“We saw that occurring, and many times what we saw with those events is they became platforms to fan the flames of antisemitism,” Goldenberg said.
The Anti-Defamation League Midwest covers Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Each state saw the following increase in antisemitic incidents from 2022 to 2023:
- South Dakota: 466% increase (3 to 17).
- Nebraska: 214% increase (14 to 44).
- Kansas: 122% increase (9 to 20).
- Wisconsin: 106% increase (45 to 93).
- Indiana: 79% increase (33 to 59).
- Minnesota: 75% increase (53 to 93).
- Illinois: 74% increase (121 to 211).
- Iowa: 40% increase (14 to 17).
- North Dakota: 16% increase (6 to 7).
Each state saw the following increase from 2019 to 2023:
- South Dakota: 1,600% increase (1 to 17).
- Nebraska: 780% increase (5 to 44).
- Kansas: 1,900% increase (1 to 20).
- Wisconsin: 144% increase (39 to 93).
- Indiana: 293% increase (15 to 59).
- Minnesota: 151% increase (37 to 93).
- Illinois: 379% increase (44 to 211).
- Iowa: 240% increase (5 to 17).
- North Dakota: 600% increase (1 to 7).
Goldenberg says that Passover, which began Monday night, remembers the time the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt.
Passover is, he said, “a time when we were reminded of when Moses went to the pharaoh and said ‘Let my people go,’”
He added that we’re “at a time when 130-plus hostages are still being held by Hamas, and, so, that cry to ‘Let my people go’ is just as relevant today.”
The Anti-Defamation League classifies antisemitic incidents into three different categories: assault, harassment, and vandalism. The organization says it’s tracked an incident an hour across the country.