H eadlines
Antisemitism Continued from Page 1
with a drawing of a swastika
and the messages “Long live
Hitler” and “Jews are scum.”
While the 101 incidents
in 2020 represents a slight
decrease, it is still the third-
highest number of antisemitic
incidents in Pennsylvania
reported to the ADL since the
organization began tracking
them in 1979.

“The main takeaway is that
the news is still not good,”
said Shira Goodman, regional
director of ADL Philadelphia.

“We still seem to have this
climate where hate is embold-
ened, where people who harbor
antisemitic attitude seem
emboldened to take action.”
And Yael Rabin, a data
analyst with the ADL’s Center
on Extremism, said the rate
at which antisemitic incidents
were being recorded prior to
the pandemic suggests that
the imposed isolation seems
to have leveled off what was
shaping up to be a year where
many more incidents would
have been recorded.

“If it weren’t for the pandemic,
or stay-at-home measures, it
probably would have continued
to increase,” Rabin said. “Not just
with the harassment, but with
16 MAY 6, 2021
Antisemitic incidents in the ADL Philadelphia region since 2016
vandalism as well.”
For the second straight year,
Pennsylvania had the nation’s
fifth-highest number of antise-
mitic incidents, according to the
audit. The Keystone State trailed
only New York (336), New Jersey
(295), California (289) and
Florida (127) in total incidents.

Within Pennsylvania, the
greatest number of incidents took
place in Philadelphia County
(39), followed by Montgomery
(17), Delaware (eight), Lehigh
(five) and Allegheny (five).

The national findings were
released at an April 27 Zoom
webinar, during which the
ADL reported 2,024 incidents
against American Jews during
2020, down 4% from 2019.

That was still the third-highest
year for incidents against Jews
nationwide since 1979, said
Deb Leipzig, ADL’s vice presi-
dent of leadership.

“The pandemic changed life
as we know it, but it didn’t stop
hate,” said ADL CEO Jonathan
Greenblatt, adding that the stats
showed an average of more than
five antisemitic acts per day.

“Antisemites are elusive,”
he said. “Anti-Jewish hate is
often thought of as the oldest
hatred. It is really the most
persistent virus because it
adapts and mutates and finds
new vulnerabilities to exploit
for spreading its toxin.”
Zoombombing is a new
medium for antisemitism,
Greenblatt said, and is partly
responsible for a 40% increase
in incidents at Jewish institu-
tions compared to 2019.

In Pennsylvania, there were
10 antisemitic Zoombombing
incidents in 2020, seven of
which specifically targeted
Jewish institutions.

That number probably does
not represent the true number
of Zoombombings
that targeted Jews, as the novelty
of that form of harassment
likely prevented people from
reporting, Rabin said.

“In general, incidents do
go vastly underreported and,
while we are at historic highs
across the country over the
past few years, it’s really only
scratching the surface of likely
what’s actually happening,”
she said.

Goodman noted the same
JEWISH EXPONENT
Antisemitic incidents in Pennsylvania in 2020 broken down by county
Yael Rabin, data analyst with the ADL’s Center on Extremism
Photos courtesy of the ADL
issue with data collection.

“A lot of people don’t want
to report them; they don’t think
the police can do anything. And
sometimes they can’t,” she said.

Nationwide stay-at-home
orders, a reduced number of
daily commutes and school
closures likely
affected the number of antisemitic
incidents, said Oren Segal,
vice president of the ADL’s
Center on Extremism. There
were 161 reported antisemitic
incidents at non-Jewish K-12
schools in 2020, a 61% decrease
from 2019. Classes were Zoom
bombed 22 times with antise-
mitic language and swastikas.

U.S. colleges and universities
experienced 128 antisemitic
incidents, Segal said, a 32%
drop from the previous year.

He stressed the importance of
reporting all occurrences of hate.

“The way we can inform
policymakers and advocate for
better policies and practices
is through good reporting,”
he said. “The better the data,
the better prepared we will all
be to strategize about ways to
mitigate antisemitism and all
forms of hate.”
Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
staff writer David Rullo contrib-
uted to this report. l
jbernstein@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H eadlines
Camps Continued from Page 1
residents and 52% of all New
Jersey residents have received
at least one dose of a COVID-19
vaccine, two of the 10 highest
percentages among all states,
according to The New York
Times. Though herd immunity
is still a long way off, rising
vaccination rates are good
news for everyone.

“We’re just feeling better
about our ability to keep
COVID out and keep people
healthy,” said Eytan Graubart,
executive director of Pinemere
Camp in Stroudsburg.

Graubart, who joined
Pinemere earlier this year,
was initially frustrated that
summer camps in Pennsylvania
were not permitted to require
vaccines for their staff, as per
Department of Health guide-
lines. But that frustration
was assuaged; after Graubart
reached out to staff earlier
this spring to offer them assis-
tance and information about
vaccines, he learned that he
was preaching to the choir.

As it stands, Pinemere
is on track for all of its staff
members to be vaccinated by
the time camp begins on June
27. In fact, parents of Pinemere
campers were offering their
help in securing vaccine and
testing appointments for those
having trouble finding them on
their own.

“There’s been a little bit of
a moment where we’re coming
together,” Graubart said.

Though it’s “still too early
to say” exactly how having
a fully-vaccinated staff will
affect the way that Pinemere
will be conducted this summer,
Graubart’s hope is that there
will eventually be an opportu-
nity to relax some of the more
rigid protocols in place for its
staff and campers. Maybe staff
will be able to spend some of
their off-days away from camp.

What the reduced risk has
given the camp administra-
tion is the freedom to think
a little more about camp and
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Fireworks on the Fourth of July at Pinemere Camp in 2019
Courtesy of Pinemere Camp
We’re just feeling better about our ability to
keep COVID out and keep people healthy.”
EYTAN GRAUBART
a little less about the possi-
bility of a COVID-19 outbreak.

While no less vigilant about
safety, Graubart and his team
are able to put more energy
into providing a positive camp
experience to children who’ve
gone through a difficult period.

“My peace of mind
changed,” Graubart said.

At Camp Galil in Ottsville,
safety practices like podding,
outdoor dining, masking and
regular testing will continue
unabated this
summer. Executive Director David
Weiss said the administration
has not yet fully determined
the effect that a fully-vacci-
nated staff would have on their
plans for this summer.

“Vaccination has really only
added an extra layer of protec-
tion,” he said. “It has not led us
to pull back on any of the plans
that we have been making.”
“It’s just one more thing that
we can do to help protect our
community,” he added.

Jeremy Fingerman, CEO
of the Foundation for Jewish
Camp, said that’s a pretty
typical view among Jewish
camp directors. Combining the
vaccines with the safety struc-
tures put in place over the last
year-plus — bubble systems,
testing and cleaning protocols,
etc. — “has given people confi-
dence” that they can deliver a
safe, fun summer for their staff
and campers, Fingerman said.

“The vaccines sort of put it
over the top,” he said.

JCC Camps at Medford, a
day camp in Medford, New
Jersey, typically serves 1,300
campers over the summer, with
around 1,100 on site on any
given day. They’re joined by 550
to 600 seasonal staff members
— counselors, kitchen workers,
lifeguard, specialists and more.

Last summer, just 200
campers attended a modified
program without busing, lunch
service or instructional swim.

Everyone stayed safe, and there
were no cases of COVID-19 at
the camp, according to Camp
Director Sara Sideman, but it
was not a typical summer.

With more staff members
vaccinated every day, JCC
Camps at Medford will
welcome campers in numbers
closer to that of a typical
summer. While safety will
JEWISH EXPONENT
Campers at Camp Galil in 2019 
remain front of mind, Sideman
said, the widespread vaccina-
tions will bring a much-needed
reduction to the temperature of
the situation.

“The vaccination piece is,
more than anything else, our
ability to not feel so stressed
going into the summer,” she
added, “that we can have a
Photos by Mark Liflander/Camp Galil
much healthier and safer
summer, knowing that we are
doing everything we can to
keep our kids and our staff
safe. That’s the biggest piece of
it. But it’s not going to change
any of our protocols.” l
jbernstein@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
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