Antisemitic incidents have  increased 360% since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). 

The three month period between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7 saw 3,283 antisemitic incidents reported in the United States, or nearly 34 incidents per day.

The ADL defines antisemitism as an ideology that oppresses Jewish people either individually or collectively.

“Antisemitism is the marginalization and oppression of people who are Jewish, based on the belief in stereotypes, myths and disinformation about Jewish people, Judaism and Israel,” the website states. “Parallel to all systems of oppression, antisemitism manifests as the dehumanization or exploitation of, or discrimination or violence against Jewish people.”

“Antisemitism sometimes targets Jews not as individuals but as a collective — whether that’s Jewish organizations, movements like Zionism or the Jewish State of Israel,” it continues.

Antisemitic incidents include harassment, vandalism, threats and verbal or physical assaults. 

The City of Beachwood is not immune to this epidemic. Twice in the last few months, Beachwood High School staff members received antisemitic voicemails from an anonymous and untraceable number, according to Superintendent Dr. Bob Hardis.

“There were enough statements mentioning Beachwood that it felt like someone who was well aware of the city of Beachwood’s large Jewish population, so I would guess it was someone from Northeast Ohio,” Hardis said.

“The messages were brief, and when first hearing them, I didn’t necessarily feel threatened, rather I felt disgusted, angry and concerned,” Hardis explained. 

“We immediately involved the police department. Then they involved the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security,” he continued.

The messages were evaluated, and Beachwood police concluded that there was no safety threat towards staff or students. 

“However, the messages were very offensive. They targeted Jewish people, made references to Hitler, Nazis, gas chambers… it seemed to me that they intended to say the kind of things that would be as upsetting and offensive as possible to Jewish people,” Hardis said.

Hardis also believes that the timing was no coincidence. The message said “Free Palestine” and claimed that the terrorist infiltration on Oct. 7 was justifiable and that “the Israelis had it coming.”  

Many other institutions have received threatening communications in recent months. 

On the weekend of Dec. 19 there were 200 false bomb threats made to Jewish institutions nationwide, including threats to local synagogues Suburban Temple-Kol Ami and Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood as well as Heights Jewish Center Synagogue in University Heights.

There have also been numerous incidents of vandalism in Jewish communities. On Nov. 13, swastikas were painted onto graves in the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in Brooklyn, Ohio. There were 23 swastikas in total, painted in red representing Nazi Germany. 

Kelly Fishman, regional director of the ADL, shared her thoughts on the incident on Cleveland 5 News. 

“It’s really a clear message of hate when you see something like that, especially one targeting a Jewish cemetery,” Fishman said. 

“At no point should anyone ever feel intimidated or afraid…nobody should be scared to go to school or to work because of their identities,” she continued.

Antisemitism has become more common on college campuses as well. Two incidents were reported within a 24 hour period at The Ohio State University in Columbus, where many Beachwood alums attend. 

Another incident making national headlines occurred in October at Cornell University, where a student was arrested for threatening Jewish students.

He was caught after posting threats online, stating that he would “stab male students, sexually assault females, and claimed he would ‘bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you pig Jews,’“ according to federal prosecutors.  

Some high school students in the Greater Cleveland area have also reported experiencing antisemitism. Olivia Silver, a freshman at Mayfield Heights High School, recently experienced antisemitism surrounding the conflict in Israel. 

“This was a big wake up call for me. I was at a Jewish school for much of my life, but once I started high school, I suddenly realized that there were people who had very different beliefs than me,” Silver added.

She continued by expressing her struggles regarding standing up for herself against the hate. 

”I knew a lot about everything going on, but I didn’t know how to defend myself. Like, I knew what to say, but I just wasn’t comfortable saying it. I was afraid of offending her, and contradicting her opinions,” Silver explained.

Muslim Americans have also experienced an increase in bias and hate crimes in recent months. The Council on American-Islamic Relations received 1,283 requests for help and reports of bias in the month after Oct. 7.

In November, three Palestinian college students were shot in Burlington, Vermont in an apparent hate crime.

The increase in both antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes in recent months can be attributed in part to the war, but FBI statistics show that hate crimes have been rising steadily in the United States since 2018.

*Correction:

A prior version of this story (as well as the print version) stated that the antisemitic voicemails were sent to Superintendent Dr. Bob Hardis. The messages were actually sent to two different high school staff members’ voicemails.