ADL release new survey on anti-Sematic hate in the U.S.

CHICAGO — Sunday marks one year since a hostage standoff at a synagogue near Fort Worth, Texas.

On Jan. 15, 2022, a hostage situation unfolded for 10 hours at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.

A British national cited anti-Semitic stereotypes and wielded a pistol as he demanded the release of a Pakistani woman who is an alleged Al Qaida operative from a prison in Fort Worth.

The FBI killed the gunman and the hostages got away.

“When we look at incidents like the Tree of Life shooting, the shooting in San Diego, when we look at Colleyville a year ago, those were driven by anti-Semitic beliefs,” Anti-Defamation League Midwest Regional Director David Goldenberg said.

The ADL just released results of a new survey of more than 4,000 adults in the US.

Among the findings, an alarming increase in beliefs in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and tropes, nearly doubling what they found in 2019.

“So tropes, like Jews, have too much power,” Goldenberg said. “More loyal to Israel than the United States. There’s roughly 11 of them our survey showed that at least 20% of those surveyed said yes, they believed in 6 of those 11 anti-Semitic tropes.”

Goldenberg said anti-Semitic attitudes, often fueled by social media, can lead to violence.

“Those of us on the front lines aren’t surprised because we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents,” Goldenberg said.

He said everyone has a role to play in combatting hate.

“It’s not just limited to anti-Semitism,” he said. “We continue to see a rise directed towards at-risk and marginalized communities and all of us have a responsibility to speak out, share facts and show strength.”