
Rochelle Wilner President	Frank Dimant Chief Executive Officer	Prof. Stephen Scheinberg National Chair	Ruth Klein National Director of Advocacy

1998 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents

DEFINITIONS AND DATA COLLECTION

The annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents is a record of reported incidents only. The Audit depends on the voluntary reporting of antisemitic incidents to the League for Human Rights through B’nai Brith offices and the nationwide B’nai Brith Lodge network. Recorded incidents may have been reported by victims directly to our offices, or may have been reported by other sources. Experts in the analysis of crime, including officers in police intelligence units, suggest that only a small percentage (in the neighborhood of approximately 10%) of hate crimes or harassment are ever reported to any source. The situation is akin to spousal or child abuse, both of which are notoriously under-reported.

Reported incidents are investigated for corroboration, then documented and analyzed by League staff to determine appropriate courses of action. Proper investigation is vital to determine whether reported incidents are indeed racially motivated, and whether they are antisemitic in nature. For example, harassment of a Jewish person in the workplace may be real but may not be antisemitic. As well, while general pamphleteering by a hate group will be condemned by the League, and while the League will be actively involved in countering its effects, if such pamphleteering does not specifically target Jews, then for the purposes of the Audit, it will not be included as an antisemitic incident. Finally, where an antisemitic mail campaign takes place, or where a number of Jewish businesses or people are targeted by one group or one individual for harassment or vandalism in a defined area over a defined period of time, such events are recorded as a single incident. Incidents are catalogued for the Audit in two broad categories:

Vandalism

Vandalism is defined as an act involving physical damage to property. It includes graffiti, swastikas, desecrations of cemeteries and synagogues, and other property damage, arson and other criminal acts such as thefts and break-ins where an antisemitic motive can be determined.

Harassment

Harassment includes antisemitic hate propaganda distribution, hate mail and verbal slurs or acts of discrimination against individuals. Death threats and bomb threats against individuals and property, as well as any kind of physical assault are also included in this broader category. This category also includes systemic discrimination in the workplace, schools and campuses, and stereotyping in the media.