Covid-19 pandemic gives rise to anti-Semitic ‘Zoom bombing’

Antisemites adopted a new tactic for spewing their hate when the Covid-19 pandemic closed synagogues and Jewish schools and community centers: hijacking video conferences.

The Anti-Defamation League counted 196 cases of antisemitic “Zoom bombing” attacks in the US last year, including 114 against Jewish institutions, according to an annual report that the organization is releasing Tuesday.

The Jewish civil rights group found that the overall number of antisemitic incidents dropped by 4 per cent last year after reaching a record high in 2019.

The decrease in incidents — from 2,107 in 2019 to 2,024 last year — included a 49 per cent decline in assaults, an 18 per cent drop in vandalism cases and a 61 per cent reduction in incidents at non-Jewish K-12 schools.