Anti-Jewish harassment of a Ponte Vedra middle-school student is one of the incidents cited in a new report from the Anti-Defamation League advocacy group.
The report shows a slight uptick in anti-Semitism in Florida last year—a small change compared with an estimated 21-percent upswing in anti-Jewish incidents nationwide.
In addition to the Ponte Vedra student’s frequent harassment by another student, the Sunshine State had 69 other reported incidents in 2014. They include a Jewish Gainesville student’s prayer scroll repeatedly being ripped from the doorframe of his home.
Most of the 70 incidents were harassment or vandalism, while one was an assault.
The Association of Religious Data Archives estimates just over 6,000 Jews live in Jacksonville and its surrounding counties.
