The Anti-Defamation League has released a report on 2020's incidents of anti-Semitism in America. Susan Michael, USA director at International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), explains it has been tracked for about four decades now, and it was at the highest rate ever in 2019.
"In 2020, physical attacks went down slightly because there were no physical gatherings, but the online harassment grew," Michael relays. "This year, just in the month of May we have seen an 80% rise in Anti-Semitic incidents in the United States."
The uptick is likely because of the situation brewing in the Middle East.
"The explanation is because of the Israeli reaction to having over 4,000 missiles fired at their civilians: They shot back," Michael explains. "They tried to destroy as much of the Hamas infrastructure as they could, and that causes a rise in anti-Semitism."
The ICEJ spokesperson does not think it makes sense that so many people would turn against Israel and the Jewish population in general for trying to protect its own civilian population.
