SEATTLE — Last year, antisemitic incidents reached the highest level in the United States since the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) began tracking the activity in 1979.
Washington state saw a 44% increase in incidents in 2022. The incidents the ADL tracks include vandalism, harassment and assaults.
Community leaders in Kirkland reacted to the new report on Thursday. Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg says she has noticed the rising tension.
"We are Kirkland's first synagogue in its history. We are Kol Ami, a Center for Jewish life,” said Kinberg.
Rabbi Kinberg says safety is always a concern at the synagogue, especially because she's experienced hateful rhetoric.
"Graffiti, threats, we've received phone calls,” she said.
"I think the climate is getting a lot worse. More antisemitic acts are happening,” said Miri Cypers, the regional director at the Anti-Defamation League in the Pacific Northwest.
Her office has released a new report that finds antisemitic incidents up 63% in the northwest region last year with 65 incidents reported. It is the highest number since the Anti-Defamation League did its very first annual audit more than four decades ago.
"Most of them are vandalism, vandalism of property and places with antisemitic language and signs, and a lot of them are also harassment of specific individuals,” said Cypers.
"It is a wake-up call for us,” said Kara Markell, a pastor at Lake Washington Christian Church.
Markell and Toby Nixon with Fostering Interfaith Relationships on the Eastside say it is a reason to reach out and bring the community together.
"We would like to take whatever actions we can to equip people to confront any kind of hate,” said Nixon.
"In my 20 years as a rabbi have never felt the need to do something like this,” said Kinberg.
She says the time to act is now, and that's why plans are in the works for a symposium on April 29 in Kirkland.
"This is about bringing our interfaith partners together, the local churches and mosques and also civic groups to learn about antisemitism to hear about the work that's done in the community to combat antisemitism,” said Kinberg. "We have the resources to know that we need to make a change and shift the direction of this."