New ADL report examines ‘Hate in the Keystone State’

Pennsylvania continues to see a rise in antisemitic incidents, according to a new report by the Anti-Defamation League.

“Hate in the Keystone State: Extremism and Antisemitism in America” notes that 465 antisemitic incidents were reported in Pennsylvania last year, compared to 394 incidents in 2023, an 18% increase. Another 76 were reported in the state through June 2025.

Nationwide, the ADL documented 9,354 antisemitic acts of assault, vandalism and harassment, a 5% increase from 2023 and a 344% increase from 2019. Pennsylvania’s number of antisemitic incidents was the fourth highest in the country, and included activity from both far-left and far-right groups, extremist plots and murders, and white supremacist propaganda and events.

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A closer look at Pennsylvania’s numbers reveals that in 2024, instances of assault increased by 140%, vandalism increased by 35% and harassment grew by 12%.

Pittsburgh has seen hundreds of incidents in the last two years, including anti-Israel and antisemitic graffiti painted on private property as well as at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Chabad of Squirrel Hill; the distribution of white supremacist literature; anti-Israel rallies; and individuals attempting to join both Hamas and Hezbollah, among other activity.

Local groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt, are identified in the ADL report as organizing anti-Israel events where antisemitic activity often occurs. The Pittsburgh Palestine Coalition and Steel City Anti-Fascist League are mentioned for having a prominent role in organizing activities and promoting antisemitic, pro-terror content and messaging.

The Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter have been active in Pennsylvania, according to the report. The former is allegedly responsible for several instances of distributing antisemitic flyers in Pittsburgh.

Several people have faced criminal charges stemming from antisemitic activity here, including Jeremy Brokaw, of Ohio, who was found guilty of driving to Pittsburgh and committing more than 160 acts of littering by throwing literature with antisemitic messages from his vehicle. He was fined more than $48,000.

Brokaw is among those in the white supremacist community who find support among a network of similarly-minded groups and individuals. His Jewish lawyer from Pittsburgh represented defendants from the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally. Brokaw created a campaign on a crowdsourcing site that has attracted several supporters, some leaving antisemitic comments when making their donations, including Goyim Defense League leader Jon Minadeo II who, according to the ADL, wrote, “Drop the charges you filthy heebs.”

“When we talk about anti-Israel incidents, we’re not talking about protected First Amendment speech,” explained Kelly Fishman, ADL’s regional director serving Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. “This is when there were calls for violence.”

Extremism, Fishman said, is occurring on all sides of the political spectrum.

“We are seeing a horseshoe effect,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it happens on the right or the left. It’s so extreme and we’re seeing it on both sides of the state.”

One of the takeaways illustrated by the murder of Charlie Kirk and the bombing of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence, Fishman said, is that people now feel emboldened to turn to violent rhetoric and action when triggered, especially because of the echo chambers on social media, gaming sites and other online platforms.

“It’s given people permission to say, ‘I’m angry and my first response is to be violent,’” she said.

Not surprisingly, the ADL reported that anti-Israel activity surged following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on the Jewish state, including a June 2024 encampment at the University of Pittsburgh where protesters demanded the university terminate its Hillel chapter and reject ties with the “Zionist regime.”

“There’s nothing in the report that is unknown to us,” said Shawn Brokos, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s community security director. “We are acutely aware that incidents of antisemitism continue to rise because we see it right here in Pittsburgh.”

So far, there were 257 incidents of antisemitism reported this year — more than the 244 reported last year at this time. If the pace continues, Brokos said, the city will exceed last year’s numbers, which were already higher than previous years.

“It does effectively capture what we’ve seen — that is, the rise in white supremacist propaganda,” she said.

Julie Paris, StandWithUs MidAtlantic regional director, said the ADL report highlights the fact that hostility toward Jews is becoming “dangerously normalized,” fueled by “antisemitic acts, political violence and anti-Israel activism that traffics in old antisemitic tropes.”

StandWithUs, Paris noted, is responding to the increase in antisemitic activity by “empowering students to push back through K–12 and campus education, engaging in public discourse so leaders and communities can recognize when criticism crosses into antisemitism, and fighting online hate by countering antisemitic content across digital platforms.”

The ADL report concludes with four recommendations for policymakers:

1. Support current legislation to address masked harassment and intimidation.

2. Establish a state task force dedicated to addressing antisemitism and extremism, including representatives from law enforcement, education and community organizations.

3. Adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.

4. Build on the foundational work of the original advisory committee that helped develop Pennsylvania’s Holocaust education guidelines, and establish a permanent Holocaust commission to ensure curricula remain current and educators receive ongoing support.

Fishman said it’s been challenging to get the IHRA definition of antisemitism adopted because it is commonly misinterpreted.
“A lot of arguments against the IHRA definition is the belief that you can not criticize Israel,” she said. “It does not say you can’t criticize Israel.”

Pittsburgh, Fishman said, does a “great job” fighting back against antisemitic activity. She praised the interfaith work in the city, including a Hindu-Jewish dialogue group that started this year, and the ADL’s Rekindle initiative, which facilitates dialogue between the Jewish and Black communities.

“Every time that happens people walk away saying, ‘Wow, we are so much more alike than I walked in believing,’” she said. “I know it’s hard right now, but any opportunity people have to find that sense of community and build dialogue is so important.” PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.