Antisemitic incidents in both California and Florida have been reported over the past week.
In California, multiple swastikas were carved into the windows of the IKAR synagogue office in Los Angeles.
The vandalism took place overnight Thursday into Friday last week, according to the Los Angeles Times.
No one was in the building at the time of the incident.
A report was filed with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Antisemitism Rising in LA
Antisemitic incidents in Los Angeles rose by 29 percent in 2021 from the previous year, and 217 percent from 2017 to 2021, according to the annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents by the Anti-Defamation League of Los Angeles.
The audit counted 182 total incidents in the region, a rise of 29 percent from 2020, including 64 incidents of vandalism of businesses, places of worship, public spaces, schools; 104 incidents of targeted online and in-person harassment; and most notably, 14 incidents of assault. There were 84 antisemitic incidents recorded in 2017.
Hate in Southwest Florida
In Fort Myers, Florida last Friday night, someone plastered antisemitic flyers on cars at two shopping outlets, Coconut Point Mall and Miromar Outlets.
The flyer was filled with swastikas, racist slurs and other hate speech, along with QR codes, according to ABC-7.
“This flyer is to be spread randomly and without malicious intent by concerned citizens united for a Jew-free Florida,” the flyer said.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation into the incident.
Antisemitism Rising in Florida
In Florida, there were 223 incidents of antisemitism in 2020 and 2021, including a case of vandalism at the home of Chabad Rabbi Mendy Greenburg in Bonita Springs.
“We have seen in the state of Florida and throughout the country a significant rise in antisemitism,” Interim ADL director Lonny Wilk told Fox 4 this past February.
“The last few years we have seen the highest levels of antisemitic incidents since we have been tracking in 1979,” Wilk added.
