Antisemitic Events in Wisconsin on the Rise

Wednesday, March 15th, 2023 -- 1:01 PM

(By Gaby Vinick, Wisconsin Public Radio) Antisemitic incidents in Wisconsin soared for the seventh consecutive year, according to an annual audit report.

The report from the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation showed hate group activity, such as the distribution of leaflets that promote conspiracy theories, rose by 83 percent between 2021 and 2022.

In all, there were 101 reported antisemitic incidents in Wisconsin last year, a 6.3 percent increase from 2021. Antisemitic events on college campuses in the state saw a steep rise in incidents at 225 percent, and there was a 22 percent increase in incidents for K-12 schools during the same time period. The Council received 11 reports of incidents related to hate groups.

"Antisemitism didn't begin or end with the Holocaust. Today, its legacy of hatred and prejudice against Jewish people is still a reality across our whole country. And it undermines both individuals' physical safety and expression of their culture and religion," said Andrea Bernstein, associate director at the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Acts of antisemitism, or hatred of Jewish people, have been rising in recent years. Between 2015 and 2022, there's been a 494 percent rise in antisemitic incidents. "Anytime that there is a societal crisis, that can trigger a spike in antisemitic activity. People start looking for simple answers to very complex problems," Bernstein said.

Jewish people are the target of 60.3 percent of hate crimes motivated by religious bias, despite representing about two percent of the national population, according to FBI data.

That's the highest rate of any religious group. One in four American Jews experienced some form of antisemitism in 2021. In Wisconsin, Jewish people represent less than 1 percent of the population.

Bernstein said the agency is concerned about the normalization of antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as those that falsely suggest Jewish people dominate the government or media. The most reported activity this year was the distribution of leaflets espousing those ideas or antisemitic rhetoric.

"Even people who may not identify as hating Jews or being antisemitic can spread dangerous ideology through these conspiracy theories," Bernstein said. Bernstein said social media antisemitic activity decreased, with online harassment, threats and assaults falling by 39 percent.

Meanwhile, acts of vandalism and interpersonal incidents in the community increased. She attributed that shift to the lockdowns and COVID-19 restrictions abating. State trends in the audit also mirror national findings.

The Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism released a national report last week that found propaganda efforts, such as fliers, banners or stickers, by white supremacist groups reached an all-time high last year.

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