Anti-Semitic incidents rise in Colorado, ADL says

Harassment, vandalism and threats against Jews increased in Colorado last year, even while anti-Semitic incidents declined nationwide, a Jewish advocacy group said Wednesday.

The Anti-Defamation League reported 30 such incidents in Colorado in 2007, up from 22 the year before. The ADL’s annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents identified one episode of harassment against a Jewish institution in Colorado Springs.

“It is very important that citizens continue to report bias-motivated incidents to both law enforcement agencies and to ADL,” said Bruce DeBoskey, director of the organization’s Mountain States Region, in a statement to media outlets. “We need the public’s help so together we can continue to shine the light on bigots in our communities.”

The ADL didn’t provide details on the incident in Colorado Springs, but spokeswoman Vanessa Martin said no one was hurt.

Nationwide, the ADL reported 1,357 anti-Jewish incidents in 2007, a 13 percent decline from 2006. The states with the most incidents were New York, New Jersey and California. They included a swastika the size of a football field carved into a New Jersey cornfield.

In Colorado, the incidents ADL reported include an attack on a Jewish man in Boulder by two men who were charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault and a bias-motivated crime, a felony.

The ADL’s reports cover 40 states and the District of Columbia. They’re based on official crime statistics and informal reports to the organization. They differ from information the FBI collects about hate crimes, which come from police departments.

Crimes in Colorado Springs based on the victim’s religion increased from two in 2005 to 12 in 2006, the FBI reported in November. Colorado Springs police said many of the crimes were graffiti that attacked religious groups or was painted on church buildings.

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