Tree of Life trial starts amid rising antisemitism in Pa. We can fight back.

This week marks the beginning of the trial of the shooter in the Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh.

It feels appropriate to emphasize the significance of this historic moment.

The Tree of Life massacre was the deadliest attack against the Jewish people in the history of this country, and it occurred less than five years ago. It was not in 1939, the same year that the Nazi-affiliated German American Bund held an antisemitic rally in Madison Square Garden, attracting over 20,000 in attendance. Nor did it happen in 1925, the same year that the Ku Klux Klan held over five million members nationally, and marched down Pennsylvania Avenue with over 30,000 individuals in a show of force.

Instead, it happened in 2018, on a Saturday morning as the Jewish community gathered together to observe Shabbat. It happened here in Pennsylvania, in a neighborhood of Pittsburgh where a gunman opened fire, killing 11 and wounding six.

It was one of 1,879 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. documented by the Anti-Defamation League that year alone.

According to the ADL’s data, the number of antisemitic incidents of assault, vandalism, and harassment in the U.S. nearly doubled four years later in 2022, with 3,697 reported incidents — an all-time high since we began tracking in 1979. According to the ADL, Pennsylvania alone saw a 65% increase in antisemitic incidents last year, part of a trend of rising hate and extremist action across the commonwealth.

» READ MORE: Four years after the Tree of Life shooting, Pa. voters denounced extremism. Now it’s the GOP’s turn. | Opinion

The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, has said antisemitism is often the “canary in the coal mine” for hate in America, and now more than ever we should be paying attention to this surge in antisemitic attacks. We know all too well the consequences of ignoring rampant antisemitism and hate in our society.

As the Tree of Life trial begins, we can show that we will not be intimidated by the rising tide of hate in our country and our state. And, as our elected representatives speak out and demonstrate solidarity with us against hate and bigotry, we hope that they will also take specific action against hate crimes by supporting anti-hate crimes legislation. Hate crimes target people based on their race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, among other protected characteristics, and therefore cause unique harm — not just to the direct victim or victims, but also to the group of people who share that identity characteristic, and to the community at large.

We must strengthen Pennsylvania’s hate crime laws to ensure more comprehensive and inclusive protections, better training for law enforcement and educators, stronger reporting mechanisms on college campuses, and increased opportunities for restorative approaches when appropriate in the wake of hate crimes.

We must strengthen Pennsylvania’s hate crime laws.

That is why the ADL is supporting an anti-hate crimes legislative package in Harrisburg, endorsed by a broad coalition of community partners. This is a step toward countering hate crimes in our state and ensuring that Pennsylvania’s approach includes all communities that face hatred and discrimination.

No one should be targeted for violence because of who they are.

We urge our lawmakers to pass this package as soon as possible and send a clear message that hate has no place in Pennsylvania. We also urge all Pennsylvanians to join us in this fight by speaking up against antisemitism and hatred whenever they see it so that together we can create a more just and inclusive society for everyone.

Andrew Goretsky is the Philadelphia regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.