>> A DISTURBING REPORT FROM THE
ANTIDEFAMATION LEAGUE FINDS
ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS REACHED
HISTORIC HIGHS ACROSS THE U.S.
MORE THAN 2700 INCIDENTS
TARGETING AMERICAN JEWS WERE
RECORDED LAST YEAR.
THAT MARKS THE HIGHEST TOTAL
SINCE IT BEGAN TRACKING SUCH
DATA IN 1979.
THE MIDWEST CHAPTER OF THE ADL
WHICH FOCUSES ON ILLINOIS,
INDIANA, MINNESOTA, THE DAKOTAS
AND WISCONSIN REPORTED 175
ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN 2021.
THAT IS UP 62% FROM THE 108
CASES IT RECORDED THE YEAR
BEFORE.
AND MORE THAN 200% HIGHER THAN
FIVE YEARS AGO.
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THIS
RISING TIDE OF ANTISEMITISM,
DAVID GOLDENBERG MIDWEST
REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE
ANTIDEFAMATION LEAGUE ANDS EREZ
COHEN AT ILLINI HILLEL.
OBVIOUSLY THE NUMBERS THAT HAVE
BEEN RECORDED ARE ALARMING.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE INCIDENTS
THAT GO UNREPORTED?
ARE YOU CONCERNED IT'S HIGHER?
>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED
BECAUSE WE WANT TO HAVE AN
ACCURATE NUMBER.
WE KNOW FROM THE F.B.I. THAT
ROUGHLY 40% OF ALL HATE CRIMES
GO UNREPORTED.
ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK IS
IMPORTANT WHILE THIS NUMBER THAT
YOU PROBABLY LOWER THAN THE
ACTUAL NUMBER WE THINK THERE IS
A TREND IN GENERAL ARE ACCURATE.
WHILE WE'VE SEEN THE
YEAR-OVER-YEAR INCREASES IN A
DRAMATIC WAY IN ILLINOIS WE'VE
SEEN 430% INCREASE IN
ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS OVER THE
LAST FIVE YEARS.
WE THINK THAT TREND IS VERY REAL
EVEN IF THE PERCENTAGE IS HIGH.
>> DAVID, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS
DRIVING THE SURGE?
>> THREE BIG THINGS.
NUMBER ONE FIRST AND FOREMOST
THE SPREAD OF HATE AND
ANTISEMITISM ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
NUMBER TWO, I THINK THE LOSS OF
CIVIL DISCOURSE THAT WE'VE SEEN
OVER THE YEARS AND THE INTENSITY
AROUND POLITICAL DEBATES.
NUMBER THREE THERE'S GENERAL
IGNORANCE AND ESPECIALLY WHERE
PEOPLE WERE ESSENTIALLY HOLD-UP
IN THEIR HOMES.
THEY ARE ENGAGING WITH FEWER AND
FEWER PEOPLE LIVING ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
SO THE EFFORT NEEDS TO BE GIVEN
TO BE EXPOSED TO PEOPLE THAT ARE
DIFFERENT THAN YOU, WHO HAVE
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS.
AND IGNORANCE IS DRIVING AN
ELEMENT OF THIS AS WELL.
>> EREZ COHEN WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR
EXPERIENCE WITH ANTISEMITISM AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SHAM
PAN?
>> WE'VE SEEN A GREAT INCREASE
IN THE NUMBER OF ANTISEMITIC
INCIDENTS AND TO THE EARLIER
QUESTION ABOUT REPORTING AND
SOME INCIDENTS GO UNREPORTED FOR
EXAMPLE, JUST YESTERDAY, WE WERE
DEALING WITH AN ISSUE OF A
STUDENT THREW ROCKS AT STUDENTS
THAT WERE ILLINI HILLEL DURING A
RALLY AND WERE IN CONSTANT
CONTACT WITH THE POLICE AROUND
THIS TOPIC.
AND THESE ARE ONGOING ISSUES ON
OUR CAMPUS.
>> DAVID GOLDENBERG, AS WE'VE
SEEN THE NUMBERS ON THE RISE IN
THE MIDWEST WHAT HAS BEEN THE
LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE TO
THESE INCIDENTS?
DOES IT SEEM LIKE THE COURTS ARE
PROSECUTING PEOPLE FOR
COMMITTING THEM?
>> DAVID PLEASE ANSWER THAT ONE.
>> I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS
WE'RE SEEING IS THAT IN
COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE ARE
LARGE POPULATIONS OF JEWS WHO
CULTIVATED RELATIONSHIPS WITH
LAW ENFORCEMENT THEY HAVE BEEN
QUITE RESPONSIVE.
BUT IN SOME CASES WHERE THEY ARE
NOT SO EXPERIENCED IN HATE
CRIMES AND INVESTIGATING HATE
CRIMES, THEY HAVE A LONG WAY TO
GO.
>> AND EREZ COHEN, DIRECTING
SOMEONE SIMILAR QUESTION TO YOU,
HOW HAS THE ADMINISTRATION AT
UNIVERSITY RESPONDED TO SOME OF
THESE INCIDENTS AND THE INCREASE
IN ANTISEMITISM?
>> SO WE ARE IN CONSTANT WORKING
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY
AROUND THIS.
THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF
EDUCATION THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
AND WE ARE REALLY LOOKING AT
THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
LEARNING, FOR THE UNIVERSITY TO
TAKE MORE LEADERSHIP AND TO
SUPPORT THE STUDENTS IN THE WAY
THEY FEEL SEEN AND HEARD AND
SUPPORTED.
SOME EVENTS ARE BETTER HANDLED
THAN OTHERS AND WE LEARN FROM
OTHER UNIVERSITIES AS WELL.
EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY GAVE
ORDERS TO PEOPLE THAT THREW
ANTISEMITIC FLYERS ON THE
GROUND.
INDIANA UNIVERSITY HELD INDOORS
IN THE DORMS.
WE'RE HOPING TO SEE SIMILAR
LEADERSHIP COMING FROM OUR
ADMINISTRATION AS WELL.
>> AND HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK THE
EVENTS IN ISRAEL AND THE ONGOING
CONFLICT WITH PALESTINIANS SEEM
TO DRIVE THE ANTISEMITISM THAT
YOU SEE HERE?
>> WE DEFINITELY SEE A GROWING
ANTISEMITISM AROUND THE TIMES
THINGS HEAT UP IN THE MIDDLE
EAST.
AND THE ARGUMENTS THAT RULE OUT
THE JEWISH RIGHTS FOR SELF
DETERMINATION.
HAS BECOME AN ENGINE FOR
ANTISEMITISM ON OUR CAMPUS.
IT'S VERY CONCERNING AND
SOMETIMES IT'S UNIVERSITY FUNDED
WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE.
ON THE LEVEL OF STUDENTS,
FACULTY AND STAFF THAT ARE
JEWISH AND EXPERIENCE THIS TIME
OF BIAS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
>> DAVID GOLDENBERG SAME
QUESTION WITH REGARDS TO WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN ISRAEL AND WHAT
IMPACT EVENTS OF THE LEAF YEAR
HAVE HAD ON THE RISE THAT YOU
ALL HAVE ANALYZED?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO DURING THE MOST RECENT
CONFLICT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND
HAMAS BACK IN MAY OF LAST YEAR,
WE TRACKED MORE THAN 114%
YEAR-OVER-YEAR INCREASE FROM MAY
2021 COMPARED TO MAY 2020.
THERE WAS A SPIKE THAT WE SAW AS
IT RELATES TO ANTISEMITIC
INCIDENTS TIED TO THAT CONFLICT.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID SEE
THOUGH, IS THAT IT IS QUICKLY
TURNING FROM LEGITIMATE
CRITIQUES OF ISRAEL INTO THE
TARGETING OF JEWISH
INSTITUTIONS, JEWISH CULTURAL
INSTITUTIONS WHICH IS AN ACT OF
ANTISEMITISM AND IT TRANSLATES
INTO THE ROCK THROWING INCIDENTS
IT BECOMES AN ACT OF VIOLENCE.
SO AMERICAN JEWS ARE CONCERNED.
>> DAVID, WE HAVE SEEN A RISE IN
WHITE SUPREMACIST SENTIMENT HOW
MUCH OF A FACTOR IS THAT?
>> IT PLAYS AS MUCH OF A FACTOR
IF NOT MORE AS FAR AS THE RISE
OF ANTI SEMITISM.
THE THING ABOUT IS IN THOSE TWO
QUESTIONS YOU TALKED ABOUT THE
EXTREME PARTS OF DIFFERENT
POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES AND MANY
AMERICAN JEWS WITH BEING
SQUEEZED.
YOU HAVE WHITE SUPREMACISTS THE
SPREAD OF THE ANTISEMITIC AS
WELL AND VANDALISM AND
HARASSMENT THAT IS DRIVEN
BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT
ANTISEMITISM IT IS NOT EVEN AT
THE CORE OF WHITE SUPREMACIST
IDEOLOGY BUT THE CORE OF WHITE
SUPREMACIST IDEOLOGY ON THE
EXTREME LEFT YOU SEE THOSE IN
THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT THAT
ADOPTED AN ANTI-ISRAEL POLICY
APPROACH AND THAT IS OK TO BE
CRITICAL OF ISRAEL BUT WHEN THAT
BECOMES ACTS OF ANTISEMITISM
THAT IS WHEN WE HAVE A PROBLEM.
>> EREZ COHEN WHAT HAS BEEN THE
RESPONSE OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
AND IN PARTICULAR THE STUDENTS
THERE AT THE UNIVERSITY AND HOW
THEY HAVE RESPONDED TO SOME OF
THESE EVENTS?
>> INTERESTINGLY WE SEE MORE
WITHIN THE ILLINI HILLEL MORE
STUDENTS COME TO GET INVOLVED
AND THEY BECOME LESS AND LESS
VISIBLY JEWISH ON CAMPUS.
THEY HIDE JEWISH SYMBOLS.
THEY TRY NOT TO SIT WITH
DIFFERENT STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
ON CAMPUS.
SO THIS IS A MOMENT IN TIME
WHERE THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IS
SHYING AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC EYE
BUT IS COMING TO JEWISH
INSTITUTIONS FOR MORE SUPPORT.
>> AND DAVID WE HAVE A FEW
SECONDS LEFT WHAT DO YOU THINK
WHEN YOU HEAR WHAT HE JUST TOLD
US?
>> IT'S HEARTBREAKING AND THE
REALITY OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH
EXPERIENCE TODAY.
FOR STUDENTS TO THINK ABOUT IT
THAT THEY ARE AFRAID TO EMBRACE
OR CONCERNED ABOUT EMBRACING A
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT PART OF
THEIR IDENTITY, BECAUSE THEY
HAVE CONCERNS THAT THEY WILL BE
ATTACKED OR HARASSED.
THAT IS A HUGE PROBLEM.
SO AS WE THINK ABOUT WHERE WE GO
FROM HERE WE HAVE TO REALIZE
THAT THAT IS A REALITY AND IT
WILL TAKE A SOCIETY APPROACH TO
DEAL WITH IT.
>> SOMETHING THAT ADL WILL