The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks hate crimes, says there’s been a 20-percent drop in hate crimes against Florida Jews. But, despite the improvement, the state still ranks among the top five states in the country for the number of reported incidents.
The Anti-Defamation League tracks episodes with a clear Jewish target. Still, ADL Regional Director Hava Holzhaur said the audit isn’t really a clear picture because it relies on self-reporting.
“It isn’t scientific, it’s anecdotal. So, one of the things that’s extremely important for your listeners to know and for people in the state of Florida to know is to think of us, to think of the ADL as the 911 for anti-Semitic incidents and for all discriminatory complaints,” Holzhaur explained.
Holzhaur doesn’t think Floridians should worry too much about the state’s ranking because she said the higher rate of discriminatory complaints likely stems from the fact Florida has a significant Jewish population.
“Certainly because there are a lot of Jewish people there would be one of the factors. Another is that these areas, they’re larger metropolitan areas where there are a lot of people in a smaller amount of space and also lots of diversity,” Holzhaur acknowledged.
The group began in 1913 as a Jewish advocacy group but now tracks many types of discrimination.