O pinion
Antisemitism Mutated Like a Deadly Virus in 2020
BY SHIRA GOODMAN AND
JEREMY BANNETT
WE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN
that antisemitism is a social
virus that has mutated with
deadly efficiency throughout
human history. In 2020, Jews
actually watched in real time
as the “world’s oldest hatred”
updated itself for a new era.

For the last 40 years, the
ADL has released its annual
Audit of Antisemitic Incidents,
which tracks incidents of
vandalism, harassment and
assault against Jews across the
nation. Our latest report reflects
some disturbing developments
in 2020: During a year we spent
mostly at home and reliant
on technology for school,
work, religious gatherings and
our social lives, antisemitism
did not abate. In fact, we saw
the third-highest number of
incidents across the nation
since we began tracking in 1979.

It was also the third-highest
number for Pennsylvania and
New Jersey, and the second-
most on record for Delaware.

How can we explain
extraordinarily high numbers
of antisemitism across the
nation and around the region
in a year when most people
were largely kept apart by
social distancing and pandem-
ic-related restrictions? The
audit reveals that antisemitism
morphed in 2020 to thrive in
these new conditions.

Because large swaths of
society and the economy were
shut down, we saw significant
declines in vandalism, assault
and other incidents at in-person
locations. Yet much of those
declines were offset by spikes in
harassment and threats online
and at Jewish institutions, where
bigots actively sought out Jews
to target.

Antisemitism in 2020 experi-
enced two major “innovations”
— the adaptation of classic
antisemitic tropes to the current
moment and the manipulation
of new technology as a means
to spread hate.

Familiar symbols of hate
were used in antisemitic
incidents online and offline.

Synagogues were vandalized
with swastikas, old slurs were
hurled and tired memes like
the Happy Merchant and the
Diseased Jew were recycled to
accompany accusations that
Jews are greedy, somehow
responsible for the spread of
the virus and profiting from
vaccines. These age-old manifesta-
tions of hate exploded online
in 2020 — incidents more than
doubled in every state in the
region and across the nation.

Last year, 36% of Jews reported
that they personally experi-
enced antisemitic harassment
online, with 22% experiencing
severe harassment. This does
not include the millions of
antisemitic posts and images
circulating online without a
specific victim, which infected
our digital ecosystem with
anti-Jewish hate.

Bigots also innovated in 2020,
repurposing new technology to
target Jews. “Zoombombing”
is a perfect example of this
increasingly malicious version
of online
antisemitism. Synagogues, Jewish schools and
secular venues saw hundreds of
virtual gatherings hijacked by
people spewing vile anti-Jewish
hate. This development is
notable because, for the first
time, haters could infiltrate
Jewish spaces almost at will. No
gathering was spared, no matter
how sacred — High Holiday
services, weddings and even
shivas all suffered traumatic
Zoombombing attacks last year.

We must look behind the
numbers to the incidents
themselves, each of which
represents an individual and
a wider community targeted
or terrorized. Our friends
and neighbors, many right
here in the region, have been
targeted with antisemitic
threats online, taunts of “dirty
Jew” during sporting events
and harassing telephone
calls. It is our synagogues
and community centers that
have been vandalized with
swastikas, terrorized with
bomb threats and disrupted by
“Zoombombers.” Antisemitism is happening
right here, right now. The
need to solve this problem
should unite Jews in solidarity.

Antisemites, whether online
or offline, do not discrimi-
nate when picking particular
targets — Jews of all denom-
inations, political affiliations
and economic status are fair
game. Accordingly, we must
continue to fight this battle
together. But we can’t fight it alone,
nor can it be about antisem-
itism alone. All forms of
hate are closely tied together,
so anyone who cares about
stopping anti-Jewish hate must
also work to fight all forms of
bigotry. Fighting back against
antisemitism and all forms of
hate will require a whole-of-
society approach at the levels
of government, law enforce-
ment, business, technology,
civil society and community.

It demands creative thinking,
coalition-building and
courage. Antisemitism is changing
before our very eyes, and now
is the time to stop it before it
has a chance to mutate into
an even more virulent and
dangerous form. l
Shira Goodman is the regional
director of the Anti-Defamation
League, and Jeremy Bannett is the
senior associate regional director.

Why Palestinian Elections Were Canceled
BY SOLOMON D. STEVENS
THE PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS
have been canceled again.

This is not a surprise, and
it is also not a surprise that
most of the world will blame
18 MAY 6, 2021
Israel. I haven’t decided yet if
this is because many people
are ignorant, or whether it is
just another manifestation of
antisemitism (I prefer the term
“Judeophobia”). Elections haven’t been held
for over 15 years for a very
simple reason. Last time there
were elections (in 2006), Hamas
won by a landslide. International
pressure to reverse the outcome
(some overt and some covert)
led to an open conflict between
Fatah and Hamas, which
resulted in Fatah assuming
power in the West Bank and
marginalizing Hamas in Gaza.

Even if the elections had been
held, it would not have been a
sign that things were becoming
more democratic in the West
Bank and Gaza. It is important
to remember that both Fatah
and Hamas are classic autocratic
and kleptocratic entities, and
Hamas is a terrorist organi-
zation. They both control the
press and arrest journalists who
dare to speak out against them.

They routinely arrest political
rivals and dissidents. They
torture those under arrest and
have political control of what
are called courts. Each rules
without significant internal
JEWISH EXPONENT
competition, so any candi-
dates for the legislature or the
presidency exist only because
they are allowed by the current
leadership. If the announced elections
were not signaling a movement
toward democracy, what were
they? More than anything
else, they were a recognition
that in the Middle East, the
struggle of the Palestinians is
no longer seen as central to the
future of the region. Four Arab
countries, Morocco, the U.A.E.,
Bahrain and the Sudan, have
already normalized relations
with Israel, and this is probably
only the beginning.

For years, the Palestinian
conflict was seen as the key to
peace in the region, but this is
no longer the case. Both Fatah
and Hamas recognize that the
upcoming elections could have
offered them an opportunity to
get back in the game.

The key to all of this is the
new Biden administration,
which could be impressed with
the elections and see this as a
reason to return to old models
for understanding the Middle
East. President Joe Biden is
See Stevens, Page 30
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM