Antisemitic incidents in Colorado rose 199% in 2023

Gabby Easterwood
·2 min read
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DENVER (KDVR) — The Anti-Defamation League has released a new report showing antisemitic incidents are at an all-time high.

Colorado saw a nearly 200% increase last year — the largest number in 45 years. Colorado had 198 reports in 2023 compared to 71 in 2022. Harassments made up the majority of reports.

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ADL has an online portal for reporting and also gets information and reports from law enforcement.

“It’s terrible because it’s not only a reflection of hate against the Jewish people, it’s a sign of just the amount of hate that is out there at this given time against so many different peoples,” said Scott Levin, ADL Mountain States regional director.

US antisemitism reports surge in 2023

These numbers are not solely on the rise in Colorado but across the country.

Nationwide, antisemitic incidents surged to historic levels in 2023, with a total of 8,873 incidents reported across the U.S. That’s a 140% increase from 2022, which is the highest level recorded since ADL began tracking this data in 1979.

The 2023 ADL audit identified:

  • Three cases of assault in Colorado

  • 150 cases of harassment in Colorado

  • 45 cases of vandalism in Colorado

Some 111 anti-Jewish incidents were reported in Colorado in just the last three months of 2023, more than either of the prior two years.

Levin said these trends were on the rise even before the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.

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Locals in the Jewish community, like Stephan Duman, weighed in on the staggering numbers. He said his business, Duman’s Custom Tailoring, has been a target before.

“I’ve had a swastika carved into the bumper of my car, we’ve had swastikas on the back of the doors and painted on the windows,” Duman said.

He said seeing numbers like this is disheartening.

“It’s horrific,” Duman said. “It’s unbelievable that we can live in this country where you have to feel any type of hatred.”

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