by
and Rachel Silverman, a correspondent for JTA.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in New Jersey dropped by 10 percent last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents.

The report, issued this week, cited a total of 266 incidents from across New Jersey in 2005, including 188 incidents of vandalism and 78 incidents of harassment.

The figure was an improvement over the spike of 297 incidents in 2004, nationwide the worst year for anti-Semitic incidents in nine years. Across the country, according to the national ADL audit for 2005, there was a 3 percent decline in documented incidents, a total of 1,757 compared to 1,821 the year before.

Despite its lower statistics, New Jersey still ranked second in the nation in anti-Semitic incidents, behind only New York, where 381 cases were reported. They were followed by California (247), Florida (199), Massachusetts (93), and Connecticut (57). Across the state’s counties, the picture varied; some experienced significant improvements, others serious escalation.

In Essex County there were 12 incidents, down from 17 the year before, and in Morris there were 10, down from 25.

In a statement, William Davidson, chair of the NJ ADL regional board, and Etzion Neuer, director of NJ ADL, said, “We are pleased with the [overall] decline but remain concerned by the disturbing impact that anti-Semitism continues to have on our community.” They said the decrease of anti-Semitic incidents in New Jersey reflects the national trend but the numbers indicate that there is still “a long way to go in our efforts to eradicate the persistent sickness of anti-Semitism.”

Neuer pointed out, however, that New Jersey’s high ranking in the audit reflected two positive factors: first, the size of its Jewish population — the fourth-largest in the United States after New York, Florida, and California — and the excellence of the statewide effort to collect information on anti-Semitic incidents.

“New Jersey has one of the finest statewide reporting mechanisms,” Neuer said. “It’s a credit to the police and the attorney general’s office and something New Jerseyans should be proud of — that such priority is given to reporting hate crimes.” He stressed too that the statistics are no more than a “snapshot, not a comprehensive picture of Jewish life or the state of anti-Semitism in the state.”

In combating anti-Semitism, Neuer said, he believes the priority remains “keeping the lines of communication open” and promoting education in homes and schools. The ADL is working with schools to help principals deal more effectively with anti-Semitic incidents. “Unless we treat the source, the illness doesn’t go away,” he said.

Problems on campus

Across the state, anti-Jewish vandalism — property damage, arson, and cemetery desecrations — decreased by 11 percent, with 188 incidents reported last year, down from 212 incidents in 2004. Some 78 incidents of anti-Jewish harassment were reported for 2005, down from 85 in 2004, a decrease of 8 percent. That figure covers physical assaults and intimidation, including distribution of hate literature, verbal threats, and slurs.

Published annually since 1988, the national audit mines data from both official crime statistics as well as information gathered by ADL’s 30 regional offices from victims, law enforcement officers, and community leaders. Both criminal acts and non-criminal incidents are counted.

The national report’s findings show that while vandalism decreased by 4 percent and acts of harassment were down by 3 percent, there was an increase in anti-Semitic acts on college campuses in 2005, with 98 incidents reported compared to 74 in 2004.

The Internet continues to play a “substantial role” in the propagation of anti-Semitism. Though Internet messages on bulletin boards and in chat rooms were not counted in the audit, specific e-mail threats aimed at Jewish synagogues and institutions were.

In addition to the audit, the ADL also compiles statistics on anti-Semitic attitudes in the country. In 2005, its “Survey of American Attitudes Towards Jews in America” found that 14 percent of Americans — nearly 35 million adults — maintain views about Jews that are “unquestionably anti-Semitic.”

Abraham Foxman, the ADL’s national director, said American attitudes for the most part are better than those in European nations. “In Europe, the numbers are higher and more serious,” he said. “But while America’s different and better, it’s not immune.”

He said the annual audit is useful in determining where and how to allocate resources to combat anti-Semitism. “As much progress as we think we’ve made with legislation, litigation, and education, anti-Semitism still continues to be the No. 2 hate crime in the United States” after race-related incidents, he said. “You can’t eliminate it, but you can try to keep a lid on it.”