WASHINGTON D.C. — As Jewish American families celebrate Passover, the reality of the rise of antisemitism in the US remains a dark cloud.
Channel 2′s Samantha Manning spoke one-on-one with Shelly Greenspan, the White House Jewish liaison.
“It is a scary time right now,” Greenspan said. “It’s heartbreaking to see swastikas on the desks at school, attacks on synagogues, people being beaten just because they’re wearing a kippah or a Jewish star around their necklace.”
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It’s been a focus for the nonprofit group, the Anti-Defamation League.
It released new findings showing there were 3,697 reported antisemitic incidents in the US last year.
That’s a 36 percent spike from the year before.
That’s the highest on record since the group started tracking the data more than 40 years ago.
We told you about the armed suspect who held hostages last year at a Texas synagogue and in central Florida a neo-Nazi group held a violent demonstration.
“Neo-Nazis in Orlando displayed flags, Nazi paraphernalia, attacked a motorist,” Rabbi Yosef Konikov with Chabad of South Florida said.
The Biden administration said it’s working on a national strategy to combat antisemitism.
In a recent op-ed, President Biden highlighted a bipartisan law he signed to help state and local law enforcement better identify and respond to hate crimes.
The White House also pointed to a funding increase for nonprofit security grants.
“That includes additional security at JCCs, Jewish community centers, Jewish schools and other religious institutions,” Greenspan said.
Visibility has also been a key focus.
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Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is the first ever Jewish spouse of a president or vice president.
He brought a Holocaust survivor to this year’s State of the Union Address.
The White House said its national strategy to combat antisemitism also includes meeting with community members, faith leaders, students, and more.
The goal is to learn more about their experiences to better identify ways to fight against hate.
A bill to add antisemitism to Georgia’s hate crime laws failed in the state legislature last month.
It would have given it an official definition to let prosecutors target antisemitic incidents as hate crimes.
But opponents said the bill could limit speech criticizing Israel.
The bill’s sponsor said she will put it up again next year.
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