Bias incidents against Jews, Muslims soar across NJ

By: Joe Strupp
Asbury Park Press
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Bias incidents targeting Jewish, Arab and Muslim residents in New Jersey surged in October, [2023] par of what the state Attorney General's Office and Governor Phil Murphy's spokesman called an "unacceptable" seven-week acceleration of bias and hate in the Garden State since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7. [2023]
..... Preliminary data from the Attorney General's Office released this week [11/28/2023] revealed that 380 bias incidents were reported statewide in October, [2023] a marked increase from the monthly average of 199 during the previous nine months.
..... Among those in October, [2023] 133 targeted Jewish people, more than three times the monthly average of 42 from January to September 2023.
..... Two dozen incidents targeting Arab people were reported, a 72% increase over what had occurred so far in 2023. Incidents targeting Islam or Muslims were up 48% on the year in a single month.
..... "The data on the state police website is preliminary, but it underscores a multi-year trend that has accelerated over the last seven weeks: Incidents of bias and hate are increasing, and that is unacceptable," said Michael Symons, a spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office.
..... "New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation, and those differences are a strength that should be celebrated and not feared. It is up to each of us to ensure that our state is welcoming and inclusive for all people.
..... Murphy's deputy press secretary, Tyler Jones, said that "any incidents of bias are taken very seriously, and the governor remains faithful that the Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey State Police, and other law enforcement entities across our state will handle them to the fullest extent of the law."
..... The surge brings the number of bias incidents in New Jersey so far this year [2023] to 2,175 through October, [2023] just three shy of last year's [2022] total of 2,178. The number of bias incidents have increased each year since the state began tracking date more widely in 2019.
..... But the war between Israel and Hamas appears to have inflamed tensions across the state.
..... Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office confirmed a preliminary spike in bias incidents in the nearly two months since the war began. More than 1,200 Israelis died in an initial Hamas attack on October 7, [2023] and thousands of civilians in the disputed Gaza strip have died in an ensur8ing Israeli assault.
..... Symons said Patkin's office has responded in a number of ways, calculating enforcement briefings, in creased patrols to ensure safety during holidays and various community outreach efforts.
..... The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness convened a meeting of more than 200 religious leaders this month, [11/2023] led by its Interfaith Advisory council, to discuss rising threats and potential security upgrades, NJOHSP officials said.
..... "During the meeting, NJOHSP noted an uptick in suspicious activity reporting since the start of the Israel-HAMAS war," state officials said via email. "emphasizing that reporting is critical in thwarting a potential attack.
..... A bias indent or hate crime is defined by the Attorney General's Office as "any suspected or confirmed offense or unlawful act which occurs against a person or property (public or private) on the basis of New Jersey;s nine protected classes: race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation,, gender identity or expression, and national origin."
..... The state police data does not sh9ow where anti-Jewish, anti-Arab or anti-Islam incidents occurred, but it does sh9ow where, in general, bias incidents were reported.
..... Rutgers University police saw the most bias incident in October, [2023] with 27. Not far behind, Princeton University police reported nine bias incidents, just one fewer than the entire nine months before.
..... Teaneck led all municipalities, with 17 incidents, a large increase from its monthly average of 2.8. Hoboken followed with nine such incidents doubling its total for the year thus far.
..... Other communities with the highest number of bias reports were Asbury Park, Clifton and Franklin Township, at eight each, and Hazet and Lakewood which reported seven apiece.
..... "It so troubling every time that it happens and just seems to reinforce the feeling that there are a lot of people out there who hate in their hearts and look for any pretense to let it out," said rabbi Moshe Weisberg, leader of the Lakewood Vaaed, an influential group of Orthodox leaders and business owners. "Whatever is bubbling inside, it boils over and we see this. America has always been a safe haven for the Jews, and it is a country of good-heartedness and wanting to do good."
.... Dina Sayedahmed, communications manager for the Council on American-Islamic Relations of New Jersey in Newark, said her organizing has seen a rise in reported incidents as well.
..... "We have received nearly 200 calls for help in the past eight weeks form community members in New Jersey. Our average was two to four calls per week before reporting a bias incident or bigotry,' she said. "It is directly related. We had one incident of a person's car vandalized for having a Palestinian flag. What happens overseas has an impact her; our communities are intertwined."
..... The largest number of incidents, 480, or 22%, occurred in schools, either secondary or high schools, followed by 419 , or 19% at private homes.
..... Another 206, or 11%, took place on public streets or sidewalks, with 241, or 11%, in cyberspace, data showed. At least 116, or 5%, were in parks or playgrounds.
..... "Sadly, a lot of the people who are spreading anti-semitic tropes are seeing themselves as human rights advocates, but they are misinformed," said Lisa Karasic, chief communication officer with the Jewish Federation in Heart of New Jersey, based in Monmouth County. "The are basing it on a lack of understanding of basic history of the regions and its people."

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