Antisemitic material left outside New Jersey homes, Jewish community center
New Jersey officials are searching for whoever’s responsible for leaving antisemitic material outside homes on Maxim Drive in Hopatcong.
The unsolicited pamphlets and decals were dropped off between 10:30 p.m. Sunday and 1:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Hopatcong Police Department.
Offensive stickers were also reportedly found outside the Lake Hopatcong Jewish Community Center, roughly 50 miles west of Manhattan. Police on Tuesday said they believe the person responsible for the hateful propaganda was driving a white sedan.
Law enforcement is asking for help from anyone who saw anything suspicious or may have video useful to their investigation. Hopatcong officials are also offering assistance to those impacted by the spread of antisemitic content in the 14,500-person town.
Antisemitism is on the rise nationwide, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The civil rights group said earlier this month that 2023 saw a 140% spike in reported incidents from 2022. That comes out to one reported act of hate the ADL receives every hour.
The ADL’s New Jersey chapter reported a 103% jump in Garden State antisemitism — a total of 830 incidents — between 2022 and 2023.
The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which began after terrorists launched an attack on hundreds of Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, appears to be driving antisemitism. Israeli Defense Forces launched an ongoing counterattack believed to have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians.
Throughout the U.S., protestors have flocked to college campuses calling for an end to the war and for the U.S. to cease funding to Israel. Columbia University students who took control of the Morningside Heights school’s main administrative building this week could face expulsion from the Ivy League institution.
President Biden signed a foreign aid bill last week calling for $26 billion in aid to be used for Israeli defense spending and relief efforts in Gaza.
