The number of anti-Semitic incidents declined both nationwide and in Colorado in 2008, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents. Incidents reported to ADL’s offices in Denver and Boulder declined from 30 in 2007 to 15 in 2008. The Audit showed that reported incidents also declined nationwide from 1,460 in 2007 to 1,352 in 2008, a decrease of 7%. The Audit identifies criminal acts, such as vandalism, violence and threats of violence, as well as non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation, including hate propaganda, leafleting and verbal slurs.

Colorado ranks 15th among the 44 states reporting incidents. Fifteen Colorado incidents were reported to ADL’s Mountain States Regional Office in Denver and to its Boulder Satellite Office in 2008. Seven were acts of vandalism against private and public property, and eight were acts of harassment in workplaces, neighborhoods and schools. In one incident, a student found a swastika on a locker at a public school; in another, a homeowner was subject to a series of thefts of Jewish-related items from the entryway to her home. Verbal harassment included taunts and slurs aimed at Jewish students and employees in various locations in Colorado.

“ADL is encouraged that the number of incidents declined last year, but it is worrisome that there continue to be ugly, hateful, anti-Semitic acts in Colorado,” ADL’s Mountain States Regional Director Bruce H. DeBoskey said. “This report reminds us that there is still much work to be done before our state becomes no place for hate.

“We encourage Coloradans to continue to report bias-motivated incidents to both law enforcement agencies and to ADL. We need the public’s help so together we can continue to shine the light on bigots in our communities.”

Nationally, the Audit identified 37 physical assaults on Jewish individuals, 702 incidences of anti-Semitic vandalism, and 613 cases of harassment in 2008. They included acts against high-profile Jewish community institutions and communal properties, such as the repeated vandalism of the San Francisco Holocaust Memorial, and the desecration of dozens of graves at a Jewish cemetery in Chicago with swastikas and hate group symbols. Of the total 1,352 incidents, 42 percent occurred at homes, private buildings or businesses, and 23 percent took place in educational establishments, including public and private schools and universities, according to the Audit.

Continuing a longtime trend, the states with the highest totals were those with large Jewish populations. The top four states accounted for 59 percent of the anti-Semitic incidents recorded by ADL. The states with the highest totals were California (226, up from 186); New York (207, down from 351); New Jersey (238, down from 247); Florida (122, down from 127); Pennsylvania (97, down from 99); Massachusetts (52, down from 95); and Connecticut (38, down from 49).

The 2008 ADL Audit comprises data from 44 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL’s regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders. The Audit identifies both criminal acts, such as vandalism, violence and threats of violence; and non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation, including hate propaganda leafleting and verbal slurs. This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.

Photos and additional information from the Audit, including state-by-state totals, are available on ADL’s national web site  .