Perhaps most alarmingly, single-bias anti-Jewish hate crime incidents rose to 1,832, a huge upswing of 63 percent from the prior year, and the highest number ever recorded by the FBI since it began collecting data in 1991.
Although Jews only make up 2 percent of the US population, reported anti-Jewish hate crimes comprised 15 percent of all hate crimes, as well as 68 percent of all reported religion-based hate crimes last year.
Bigotry begins with discrimination and ends with violence. Religion-based hate crime is rooted in—and is a manifestation of—personal bigotry. Ironically, one teaching common to almost all faiths is to love thy neighbor, a principle that is unapplied by the small portion of the population who commit these crimes.
Through misinformation, bigots also inflame others to commit crimes of hate on their behalf. A 31-year-old Texas woman, Erin McMurtry, called a notorious anti-Scientologist “a true inspiration” in a Facebook post. Four days later, she smashed her car through the front doors of the Austin Church of Scientology, stopping just short of the nursery. McMurtry was charged with criminal mischief at a place of worship and was convicted of a felony.
“Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities,” the FBI states. “The Bureau investigates hundreds of these cases every year, and we work to detect and prevent incidents through law enforcement training, public outreach and partnerships with community groups.”
The FBI found that the top three hate crimes reported in 2023 were (1) intimidation (2) destruction/vandalism/damage and (3) assault. All three share in common the depriving of the victim’s personal security, which is intended to be the basic guarantee of a free society.
Eliminating bigotry from American life may seem as distant a goal as ever, but as ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt says, “Data drives policy, and without having a complete understanding of the problem, we cannot effectively address this significant surge in hate violence.”
Yet and still—data or no data—there is something each of us can do right now. As L. Ron Hubbard wrote in the common sense guide to better living The Way to Happiness: “In this sea of contention, one bright principle has emerged: the right to believe as one chooses.”
Respecting and uplifting the beliefs of others—even as we uphold our own—is the only way we will ever create a saner, better world.
