SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Anitsemitism in San Diego and California is up. That’s according to the latest audit from the Anti-Defamation League when it comes to anti-Semitic incidents in 2024.
"I think we're living in a world right now where people feel really justified and they rationalize hatred,” Rabbi Devorah Marcus, who ABC 10News spoke to in July 2023 after antisemitic flyers were found in the neighborhood near her synagogue, said.
The number of these incidents is the highest it's ever been since the organization started tracking them nearly 50 years ago.
"We have seen an increase of antisemitic incidents by 28%,” Fabienne Perlov, the regional director of ADL San Diego, said.
She told ABC 10News San Diego had 139 total incidents in 2024, compared to 108 in 2023.
"Those incidents take place everywhere really; public spaces, on universities and college campuses, in K-12 schools, in the workplace,” Perlov said.
"They were definitely disturbing but unfortunately not shocking,” Adam Maslia, Director of The Finest Community Coalition, said.
Maslia’s group, The Finest Community Coalition, is a newly formed organization aimed at bringing people from the San Diego area together to combat antisemitism.
"The vitriol really is terrible in the aftermath of October 7th. I think coming together is how we address it. I think that showing that love is stronger than hate; that we have so much more in common than we do that divides us,” Masila said.
There's hope these kinds of numbers could one day reverse course.
"A lot of non-Jewish allies who are speaking up are starting to stand up with the Jewish community and say enough is enough,” Perlov said.
