Anti-Semitic incidents in the United States declined for the second consecutive year in 2006.  The Anti-Defamation League's annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents reported a total of 1,554 anti-Semitic incidents in 2006, a 12 percent decline from 1,757 reported in 2005.

The decline came in a year marked by several violent attacks, including the shooting at the Greater Seattle Jewish Federation in July by an Islamic extremist, in which staffer Pamela Waechter was killed and three others seriously wounded.

That attack and others underscored the continuing threat to Jewish community institutions, particularly at a time of heightened conflict in the Middle East.  Tensions from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Summer 2006 war in southern Lebanon simmered over onto U.S. college campuses and into anti-war protests.

Continuing a longtime trend, the states with the most incidents were New York (284, down from 381 in 2005); New Jersey (244, down from 266); California (204, down from 247); Florida (179, down from 199);  Massachusetts (96, up from 93 in 2005; Pennsylvania, (94, down from 95 in 2005); and Connecticut (77, up from 57). 

Additional analysis on the 2006 Audit's findings is available in the press release.

The 2006 ADL Audit comprised data from 44 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL's regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders.

The Audit identifies both criminal acts, such as vandalism and threats of violence, and non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation, including hate-propaganda leafleting and verbal slurs.

Several ongoing factors remained part of the Audit picture in 2006.

These included: Anti-Jewish harassment and intimidation in the schools; anti-Semitic activity on the college campus; and public activity by organized neo-Nazi and other hate groups.