AUSTIN, Texas — The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says anti-Semitic incidents have hit an all-time high in the U.S., and a new report includes a spike of vandalism and harassment in the Austin area.
An audit by the ADL found that, in 2021, there were 44 anti-Semitic incidents in Austin, compared to just eight the year before. There were 12 incidents of vandalism, 32 incidents of harassment and luckily no assaults.
“This past year has really been unprecedented and it's disheartening,” said Kelly Levy, the associate rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel.
Rabbi Levy’s synagogue was the target of an attack on Halloween last year. Franklin Sechriest is accused of setting a fire at the doors of the sanctuary and throwing a brick through a window. He was 18 at the time of the fire and was indicted on federal charges at the end of March. His attorney said he is currently being assessed for competency.
"I initially thought it was a prank, a Halloween prank, because it was Halloween night," shared Levy.
But it was far from a prank. It is believed to have been a targeted act of hate toward Congregation Beth Israel and the Jewish community.
Because of this increase in anti-Semitic acts, Levy and her congregation have increased security.
"We've always had security during community events, for Shabbat services, or programs, but we now have security on-site daily in order to keep our Pre-K program safe and we also continue to have security for other big events," said Levy.
They received about $600,000 in donations from people in the community and from people around the world, but they still are working to make repairs from the attack.
“So, in addition to having to deal with the damage caused by the fire, we also have to deal with some of the other issues that were already part of the building, in order to repair the damage from the fire,” explained Levy.
But Levy said the damage from the fire and the pain from the attack does not compare to the love from the community.
“The anti-Semitism that's grown in the past year and in the past years, it’s not going to win. It's not going to be the thing that consumes us,” said Levy. “It's going to be the love that takes over.”
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