Hamden, CT, March 14, 2007 ... The number of anti-Semitic incidents in Connecticut increased 35 percent in 2006, according to the Anti-Defamation League's annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents.  A total of 77 incidents were reported across Connecticut in 2006, up from 57 in 2005.  The Audit reported 36 incidents of vandalism and 41 incidents of harassment in 2006. The state ranks seventh in the nation in anti-Semitic incidents.
 
"We are alarmed that anti-Semitic incidents remain at such a high level, and that the number increased so significantly in 2006," said David Waren, Director of the Connecticut Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League.  He also noted that hate crime figures released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation consistently show religion to be a primary motivation for the commission of hate crimes, second only to race, with Jews being far and away the most frequently targeted religious group.

According to the ADL Audit, several trends continued to serve as a driving force behind anti-Semitic incidents in 2006, both nationally and in Connecticut.  These included anti-Jewish harassment and intimidation in the schools, anti-Semitic activity on college campuses, and public activity by organized neo-Nazi and other hate groups.

"We are particularly concerned about the continuing high number of school-based anti-Semitic incidents in Connecticut, reflecting disturbing developments among our young people," Mr. Waren noted.  "In this context, educational initiatives such as ADL's anti-bias programs continue to be of the utmost importance in the effort to combat and reverse the trend of increased anti-Semitism throughout the state."

Some of the incidents in Connecticut during 2006 included:

•  February - More than one-hundred swastikas and other anti-Semitic slurs were drawn on the inside walls of a middle school.
•  April - Swastikas were painted on a prominent Holocaust memorial in West Hartford on two occasions in the space of three days.
•  May - A Jewish student was told by another student that "All Jews should die," and that "the Nazis should have killed all the Jews."
•  May – September - Anti-Semitic graffiti was repeatedly drawn on the walls of an elevator in a building housing several Jewish organizations over the course of more than three months.
•  October - A Jewish student's car was decorated during Homecoming with a Jewish star in a circle with a line through it.
•  December - A high school student referred to "Jew spending," "Jew buying gifts," and "cheating like a Jew," noting that such comments are prevalent in her school.

The ADL Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs.  Compiled using official crime statistics, as well as information provided to and evaluated by ADL's professional staff by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders, the Audit provides an annual snapshot of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported. 

While the Audit is based only on those incidents that are reported to ADL, which likely represent only a small fraction of the actual anti-Semitic incidents that take place, the information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.