ADL: 2 in 3 Israeli teens report experiencing anti-Semitism online
Poll suggests that websites and social media are worldwide hotbeds for hate against Israelis.
By BENJI ROSENStudents at computers(photo credit: Reuters)
Two in three Israeli teenagers have experienced some form of anti-Semitic expression on the Internet, according to an Anti-Defamation League poll published on Tuesday.One in three young Israelis surveyed also reported being the victim of an online, anti- Semitic attack just because they are Israeli.It is “shocking” that “with the Internet, it has brought the experience of anti-Semitism to Israeli youth,” ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman said on Thursday.Foxman said he assumed that because they did not live in Diaspora, most Israelis were sheltered from anti-Semitism.The poll, which has a margin of error of ±4.4 percentage points, was conducted by Geocartography Knowledge Ltd. They surveyed five hundred Jewish teens between the ages of 15 to 18 in mid-October.These findings come on the heels of an ADL report in July which showed that anti-Semitic incidents in the US decreased significantly from 2011 to 2012 (13%) – continuing a three-year downward trend – and a public opinion poll from this Tuesday which found that three-quarters of Americans support Israel, the highest level in at least eight years.Although anti-Semitism in the United States appears to be decreasing, Tuesday’s poll suggests that websites and social media are worldwide hotbeds for hate against Israelis.ADL National Chairman Barry Curtiss-Lusher expressed his alarm in July that the Internet was becoming a forum for anti-Semitism.The Internet allows bigots to express themselves anonymously, and to have “an outlet to reach a potential audience of millions,” he said.In an interview with the Post this week, Curtiss- Lusher also said this risk is increased because of the proliferation of Facebook pages, tweets and websites created everyday.
To combat all types of bigotry, Curtiss-Lusher recommends educating people on the dangers, as well as holding online communities responsible to flag hateful pages, so that moderators will remove them.Thursday’s poll suggests that a majority of Israeli youth is already participating in this practice of reporting cyber-abuse.59% of Israeli teenagers that were attacked over the Internet said they took some kind of action against this cyber-anti-Semitism. That included them directly reporting the abuses, or asking their friends to on their behalf.Foxman, in a statement, said it was “good news” that young Israelis “do not remain passive,” because they “can play a role in helping to respond to and counteract online hate speech.”
