Moving to the suburban New Jersey community of Montclair from Northern California two years ago in the midst of the pandemic, Liyan Chen found a comforting new racially diverse home.
Hate crimes against Asian Americans were, and continue to be, a major concern in Northern California with Asian women being especially vulnerable since COVID-19 was unleashed in Wuhan, China in 2019
“I was very nervous and scared,” said Chen, 33. “I was aware of the statistics—my status being a smallish Asian woman in the city.”
Cognizant of the animosity toward Asian Americans in the aftermath of the pandemic, Chen is now also aware of the rise in antisemitism in the country. As a converted Jew who worships with her husband, Brian Solomon and toddler son, she couldn’t believe what happened across the street from her home in Montclair. Vulgar graffiti, including a swastika, were sprayed at a children’s playground in Edgemont Park in December. It’s a stark reminder of the divisiveness of the current state of political affairs.
Hate incidents rising
Indeed, antisemitism is on the rise in the United States. In a 2002 survey by the American Jewish Council, 43% of Jewish Americans believe anti-Jewish hate is a problem in the country today. Documented harassment and vandalism against Jews rose to their highest level in 2021 since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking in 1979. Incidents include the mass killing of 11 Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 and basketball star Kyrie Irving espousing conspiracy theories against Jews.
In 2017, extremists donned t-shirts in Charlottesville with the moniker “Jews will not replace us.” The acts of hatred are occurring in open public spaces, not behind fringe closed doors.
Meanwhile, hate incidents against Asian American rose to over 11,500 cases across the country from March 2020 through December 2022. According to the nonprofit StopAAPIHate.org, two out of three of the incidents involved an Asian female…
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