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Erasing Hate on blackboard
According to a report released last week, antisemitic incidents at Wisconsin high schools and middle schools increased by 80% from 2020 to 2021. The report, released by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, also shows antisemitic incidents on social media rose by 30% during that same period.
“Often incidents that occur in schools are underreported,” says Jewish Community Relations Council Director Kai Yael Gardner-Mishlove. “The incidents were mostly direct harassment of Jewish students in the form of Holocaust comments, gestures or swastika graffiti.”
Antisemitic incidents were reported from across Wisconsin, including rural, suburban and urban areas. “The highest concentration was reported in Milwaukee area,” home to the state’s largest Jewish community, Gardner-Mishlove says.
Social media remains a free-fire zone for racists and conspiracy theorists, many of them antisemitic. Gardner-Mishlove describes the online incidents in the report as including “conspiracy theories; harassment of Jewish individuals and institutions using antisemitic slurs, disparaging stereotypes and hateful memes, Holocaust denial and minimization. There was also an emerging trend of using Holocaust imagery and comparisons to make political arguments about pandemic policies.”
She adds, “We are not certain if there are more people who hold antisemitic views than previously, but the tone and tenor of the incidents indicate that the folks feel more emboldened to express hateful rhetoric especially through social media platforms.”
On some days 2020 and 2021 felt more like 1220 and 1221—if medieval Europe had been outfitted with wi-fi. In olden times Jews were blamed for the spreading plagues and disease of all kinds. Contemporary conspiracy theorists, including a few politicians, are repeating the falsehoods of past centuries.
“During times of economic uncertainty and societal instability, such as we had during the pandemic, people often turn to scapegoating and conspiracy theories as an easy answer to their concerns,” Gardner-Mishlove says. “This manifests itself in the intentional and unintentional spreading of antisemitic rhetoric”
The Wisconsin numbers in the council’s report reflect a nationwide trend. The Anti-Defamation League has been tracking national antisemitic incidents since 1979 and the past few years have been their highest on record.
If you are a student who is targeted by anti-Semitism, what should you do? “For K-12 students, reach out to a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher or school counselor for support and direction for next steps,” Gardner-Mishlove says. “Parents, educators and administrators may then reach out to the JCRC to report the incident and receive consultation and resources. If there is a concern about safety, please reach out to your local law enforcement for immediate assistance. Also note that all reports are confidential, and we will not take actions without your consent.”
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