ATLANTA — Hate is on the rise. In the last year, the number of antisemitic incidents has risen across the nation, including here in Georgia.
2021 saw more reports of attacks against Jewish people and institutions; record numbers not seen in more than 40 years.
Advocates said the rise corresponded with a military conflict overseas, but that wasn't the only factor.
In its annual audit, The Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit Jewish civil rights group, found an increase in the number of assaults and incidents of harassment and vandalism. The report is based on information from law enforcement, media outlets and community groups.
The organization points to fighting between Israeli forces and the militant group, Hamas, as having an effect here in the United States, and around the world.
The overseas conflict lasted 11 days and ended with a bilateral ceasefire agreement.
The international clash wasn't the only factor, though. The ADL said the rise in 2021 antisemitism also coincided with a near-record year of incidents of white supremacist propaganda, including cases of racist, antisemitic and other hateful messages.
According to the report, in 2021, Georgia saw 49 instances of harassment, vandalism and assaults, a number greater than the previous three years.
That likely includes instances like reports in Cobb County last year of images of swastikas and antisemitic language appearing in two county schools that September. Cobb County's Board of Education later passed an antisemitism and racism resolution.
The report found more than 2,700 incidents across the country, marking a 34 percent increase from the number of incidents in 2020.