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Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New ADL report shows decrease in antisemitic incidents across the Southeast in 2024
Antisemitic incidents are at a record high in most regions of the country, but have decreased slightly in the Southeast, according to a new report by the Anti-Defamation League, a leading global advocacy organization that fights antisemitism. The annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, released April 22, tallied the types of antisemitic incidents recorded over the past year. Across the country, the ADL counted 9,354 antisemitic incidents nationwide – a 5% increase from 2023, and a 344% increase over the past five years. The data is collected from incident reports sent to the ADL directly, as well as reports made by law enforcement, news media and partner organizations of the ADL. It is the highest number on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents 46 years ago. But the Southeast, which includes Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee in the ADL report, is a different story. According to the data, 346 antisemitic incidents were recorded throughout the region in 2024, representing a 14% decrease from 2023, though the numbers remain almost double the levels seen in any year prior to 2023. The audit also shows a decrease in white supremacist propaganda incidents as well — from 137 in 2023 to 87 — though what white supremacist activity was recorded more specifically targeted 'figures in the Jewish community,' including businesses. 'We're pleased to see (the decrease), because that has been a focus of our work: trying to stop tactics of hate and trying to make it more difficult for extremist groups to get their message out … by doing things like the Nashville Metro Council did over the summer,' said Eytan Davidson, regional director for ADL Southeast. More: In response to recent neo-Nazi activity, Nashville council advances slate of restrictions Tennessee saw 81 incidents in 2024, down from 90 in 2023, including 29 incidents of vandalism, 51 incidents in public areas, and one assault. Additionally, there was a significant decrease in bomb threats to Jewish institutions in Tennessee, from 14 in 2023 to one in 2024. Across the region, there were 70 incidents of antisemitic messaging on university campuses recorded in 2024, compared to 36 in 2023 and just 12 in 2022. These numbers reflect the increase in antisemitic incidents on college campuses, which are tied to the large-scale protests seen at many universities regarding the Israel-Hamas war. 'We saw an alarming number of incidents on college campuses across the country,' Davidson said. 'That being said, Tennessee has a real bright spot there in Vanderbilt University, which received an A on ADLs campus report card in March.' More: Vanderbilt University claims a commitment to free speech. But does it deliver? Although the report also tallies what the ADL labels 'anti-Israel activity,' in addition to the antisemitic expressions, Davidson stresses that the organization does not conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and separates the incidents before reporting them in the audit. 'Anytime somebody criticizes the government of Israel, that does not necessarily mean that it is antisemitic,' Davidson said. 'We're really looking for language that is calling for what could only be described as antisemitic, and in our view, that is calling for the elimination of the only Jewish state in the entire world.' In the report's methodology, it states that the ADL's 'approach to Israel-related expressions' comports with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism — a definition that has a long history of clashing with a number of First Amendment advocates for potentially conflating constitutionally protected criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism. When asked how the organization interacts with these First Amendment concerns while using the definition as a basis for data collection, Davidson said that although they recognize the debate, antisemitism is 'unique.' 'The ADL recognizes that the First Amendment protects all speech, and that includes hate speech,' he said. 'And that is the price of having a free and democratic society with a very robust First Amendment. At the same time, antisemitism functions as a conspiracy theory, and all of the examples that are in the IHRA definition point to very specific things that are antisemitic that wouldn't necessarily be obvious.' Davidson said the examples in IHRA definition, even the ones many First Amendment experts contest, are included because it is 'what we see' — going on to list criticism of the Israeli government in examples. 'We see people using these criticisms of Israel that go beyond what one would consider criticism of a state's policies,' he said. 'That's a real problem that we have in this world: that Israel is treated differently because it is the Jewish state. And when it is applied, that is antisemitism in action.' The USA TODAY Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@ by phone at 931-623-9485, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: New report shows decrease in antisemitic incidents across Southeast
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vanderbilt University tackling antisemitism on campus: ADL
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A new report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) showed that Vanderbilt University has made significant strides in addressing antisemitism on campus. The private school in Nashville was one of 135 schools addressed by the ADL in 2025, up from 85 schools the academic year prior. The organization uses 30 metrics such as 'Jewish life on campus' and 'publicly disclosed administrative actions' to assign letter grades A to F to each college in its Campus Antisemitism Report Card. After receiving a C rating in the 2024 report, Vanderbilt was assigned an A in the ADL's latest evaluation, making it one of 10 schools to move up two grade levels. Man charged with threatening to attack federal building in Downtown Nashville After the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, the ADL noted that members of the Vanderbilt Students for Justice in Palestine chapter set up a demonstration that depicted bodies in bags with blood. Additionally, the group reportedly built an 'Apartheid Wall' exhibit on Rand Yard, and nearly 30 students on campus held a sit-in in protest of an administrative decision to remove a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)-related proposal from the student ballot. Based on Vanderbilt's efforts to combat antisemitism on campus since then, it now finds itself among the ADL's top-eight performing universities in the country. 'We engaged in a really substantive dialog,' said Eytan Davidson, regional director for the ADL Southeast chapter. 'Vanderbilt has just been terrific in terms of taking this issue very seriously, not just for Jewish students, but for their entire student body, and we believe that they've really been leaders on this issue.' The ADL told News 2 that more than 70% of the universities that were covered in the first round of the report card ended up engaging with ADL on ways that they could improve their campus climates. Bill would designate three months as the celebration of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' in Tennessee 'I said it last year and I'll say it again: every single campus should get an 'A', this isn't a high bar – this should be the standard,' said Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive officer of the ADL. 'While many campuses have improved in ways that are encouraging and commendable, Jewish students still do not feel safe or included on too many campuses. The progress we've seen is evidence that change is possible – all university leaders should focus on addressing these very real challenges with real action.' According to the organization's latest report card, 45% of the schools previously evaluated improved, while only 9% declined. 'The improvement on campus is largely due to new administrative initiatives implemented in response to the campus antisemitism crisis,' said Shira Goodman, ADL's vice president of advocacy. 'We're glad that improving the campus climate for Jewish students was a priority for many of these schools, and we hope all colleges and universities understand the importance of developing and enforcing strong policies and procedures to create a safe and welcoming environment for Jewish students and all students.'To learn more, visit the ADL's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Vanderbilt University one of top eight schools nationally for curbing antisemitism, new report shows
Vanderbilt University has been ranked in the top eight universities in the country, receiving an A rating, for their efforts to address antisemitism, according to a 2025 report released by the Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy organization that fights antisemitism globally. The Nashville private university moved up two grade levels in the annual report — one of only ten universities in the country to do so — from last year's C rating. Eytan Davidson, regional director for ADL Southeast, said the organization is proud of the university, and 'the way they have worked cooperatively and thoughtfully about how to have policies that enhance the campus climate, the college experience, guarantee the rights of everyone — including open expression — and keep everybody safe.' 'The grade that they received in this iteration of the report card reflects the hard work, focus and attention that they've given to making their campus the most welcoming environment for all students,' Davidson said. The report assessed 135 schools — up from 2024's 85 schools — and graded schools against 30 criterium, separated into categories such as administrative action and policies, campus conduct and climate concerns, as well as Jewish life on campus. The system ranked eight schools across the nation with an 'A' ranking, 41 with a 'B' ranking, 46 with a 'C,' 27 with a 'D' and 13 with an 'F.' The eight A-graded schools are: University of Alabama Brandeis University Elon University CUNY Brooklyn College CUNY Queens College University of Miami Vanderbilt University Florida International University The survey also graded Ivy League schools, though none achieved an A rating. Dartmouth College received the highest among Ivy Leagues with a B rating, while University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Cornell and Brown Universities all received a C, with Princeton and Yale Universities receiving a D. The organization gave 36% of all the schools in the report an A or B in its 2025 Campus Antisemitim Report Card, up from 23.5% in 2024, the first year the report was done. 'Over the past couple of years, we have seen an alarming spike in antisemitism and antisemitic incidents on college campuses across the United States, and that prompted us to create the campus report card,' said Davidson. 'As a result of (last year's) report card, we have further engaged with universities and campuses to try to help them make their campuses welcoming and safe for all students, and specifically put in measures to combat antisemitism and its rise.' Vanderbilt University is the only Tennessee school graded in the report, which focuses on schools with 'significant Jewish student populations, those of particular concern and those viewed as exemplary in combating antisemitism.' Davidson said that the higher ranking was a result of the 'swift and decisive' actions by the university in response to the pro-Palestinian protests that occurred on the campus in March 2024. The protests included a lengthy sit-in at the University Chancellor's office, and saw four students arrested, alongside one reporter. More: Vanderbilt University claims a commitment to free speech. But does it deliver? The report praises Vanderbilt's August 2024 update to its student handbook, which banned camping for demonstrations and protests, as well as the school's expansion of its civil discourse programming through the Dialogue Vanderbilt program and its close relationship with the campus' Hillel and Chabad. Davidson noted that, while Vanderbilt was the only Tennessee school to be graded, he believes that the southeast region is doing 'relatively well compared to the national average,' regarding policies protecting students from antisemitism. Despite this, Davidson said that the rise in unabashed antisemitism 'across the board,' both in schools and the public sphere, has been concerning. 'The normalization of antisemitism has been alarming across the board,' he said. 'But it's not just the normalization of antisemitism. It is normalization of all forms of hate that we are seeing that is of great concern—not just to Jewish students, but to everyone. We have seen from history that when you have environments where hate can flourish, it leads to worse things. So, as a society, that is something that we have to be aware of. That is the moment we're living in, and I think the report card is a really useful tool for students and parents to get a sense of safety.' A recent ADL survey conducted with partners of the organization found 83% of Jewish college students experienced or witnessed antisemitism since the Oct. 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, and that 66% of Jewish students were not confident in their university's ability to prevent antisemitic incidents. The USA TODAY Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@ by phone at 931-623-9485, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: New report: Vanderbilt University ranked in top eight universities for curbing antisemitism
