Antisemitism in Washington, D.C.

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The history of Antisemitism in Washington, D.C. dates to the establishment of the district in the 18th century. Antisemitic covenants in real estate were common in the city during the early to mid 1900s. During the 2010s and 2020s, there has been an increase of reported antisemitic incidents in Washington, D.C.

Contents

History

20th century

Residential segregation

During the early to mid 20th century, Jews experienced antisemitic discrimination in housing in Washington, D.C. Because many white Christian neighborhoods in DC used antisemitic covenants to exclude Jewish people, Jewish real estate developers often choose to build neighborhoods in the Maryland suburbs of Montgomery County and Prince George's County. White Jewish real estate developers including Sam Eig and Esther Eig, Morris Cafritz, Jack and Abraham S. Kay, Carl M. Freeman, and Albert Small dispensed with antisemitic covenants but continued to use racial covenants to exclude African-Americans and other people of color from white neighborhoods. [1] Racist and antisemitic covenants were declared unenforceable by a 1948 Shelley v. Kraemer Supreme Court ruling and were banned by the 1968 Fair Housing Act. [2] [3]

W.C. and A.N. Miller, a group of privately owned real estate firms in Bethesda, used restrictive covenants to exclude Jewish people and people of color from parts of Northwest DC as well as the Montgomery County suburbs of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac. During the Civil Rights Movement, the company came under fire for its use of discriminatory covenants. In 1959, hearings before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, testimony noted bars against ownership by Jews in areas controlled by the Miller Companies including Wesley Heights and Sumner, with Spring Valley cited to be "of particular significance" owing to the prominence of its residents. [4] Members of the public also cited the company's past discrimination in testifying against Washington awarding an urban renewal contract to an affiliated company in 1961. [5] A typical covenant used by W.C. and A.N. Miller reads that "No part of the land hereby conveyed shall ever be used or occupied by, or sold, demised, transferred, or conveyed under, to, or in trust for, leased, or rented, or given to, Negroes or any person or persons of Negro blood or extractions, or to any person of the Semitic race, blood, or origin, which racial description shall be deemed to include Armenians, Jews, Hebrews, Persians, and Syrians, except that this paragraph shall not be held to exclude partial occupancy of the premises by domestic servants of the occupants thereof." [6]

21st century

As of 2022, the Anti-Defamation League reported that two white nationalist groups operated in DC: the Patriot Front and Scott-Townsend Publishers. [7] In 2021, propaganda produced by the neo-Nazi Patriot Front was used to target synagogues in DC and Jewish institutions in multiple states. [8]

In 2023 and 2024, during the Israel–Hamas war, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington reported a "dramatic uptick" in requests for help from parents, teachers, and students due to a surge in antisemitic incidents in Washington, D.C. and DC's suburbs in Maryland and Virginia. [9]

In December, 2023, a man attacked Kesher Israel synagogue in Georgetown, spraying people with an odorous substance while allegedly shouting "Gas the Jews!" The assailant was arrested by the police. [10]

See also

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The history of Antisemitism in Maryland dates to the establishment of the Province of Maryland. Until 1826, the Constitution of Maryland excluded Jewish people from holding public office. Prior to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, Jewish people were excluded from living in many white Christian neighborhoods throughout Maryland due to the use of restrictive covenants and quotas. Between the 1930s and 1950s, quota systems were instituted at universities in Maryland to limit the number of Jewish people. During the 2010s and 2020s, Maryland has seen an increase in reported incidents of antisemitic vandalism and violence.

The history of Antisemitism in Virginia dates to the establishment of the Colony of Virginia. Jews living in colonial Virginia had more rights than most Jews elsewhere in the world, but they did not begin to have equal rights with Christians until after the American Revolution. During the Civil War, Virginian Jews were often the subject of antisemitic accusations of profiteering and disloyalty to the Confederacy. In the early 20th century, educational institutions such as the University of Virginia used anti-Jewish quotas to reduce their number of Jewish students. Prior to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, some neighborhoods in Virginia excluded Jews using restrictive covenants. During the 2010s and 2020s, Virginia has seen an increase in reported incidents of antisemitic vandalism and violence.

The history of Antisemitism in New Jersey dates to the establishment of the Province of New Jersey. Prior to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, Jewish people were excluded from living in many white Christian neighborhoods throughout New Jersey due to the use of restrictive covenants and quotas. Between the 1920s and 1950s, quota systems were instituted at universities in New Jersey to limit the number of Jewish people, including at Rutgers University and Princeton University. During the 2010s and 2020s, New Jersey has seen an increase in reported incidents of antisemitic vandalism and violence.

The history of Antisemitism in Connecticut dates to the establishment of the Connecticut Colony. Prior to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, Jewish people were excluded from living in many white Christian neighborhoods throughout Connecticut due to the use of restrictive covenants and quotas. Between the 1920s and 1960s, quota systems were instituted at universities in Connecticut to limit the number of Jewish people, including at Yale University and Wesleyan University. During the 2010s and 2020s, Connecticut has seen an increase in reported incidents of antisemitic vandalism and violence.

The history of Antisemitism in Florida dates to the establishment of Spanish Florida in the 16th century. Jews were prohibited by law from settling in Spanish Florida or practicing their religion. Following the British acquisition of Florida in 1763, Jews were allowed to settle in Florida but still experienced prejudice and discrimination. American Jews became free to move to Florida after 1821, when the United States gained control of the Florida Territory from Spain, where they enjoyed relative freedom due to the US legacy of religious tolerance. Prior to a 1959 ruling from the Supreme Court of Florida, Jewish people were excluded from living in many white Christian neighborhoods throughout the state due to the use of restrictive covenants and quotas. During the 2010s and 2020s, Florida has seen an increase in reported incidents of antisemitic vandalism and violence.

Carl M. Freeman was an American real estate developer and manager in the Greater Washington region. During his career, Freeman built over 20,000 houses and apartment units in Washington, D.C., and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs.

References

  1. ↑ "Silver Spring's Jewish history 'long and complicated'". Washington Jewish Week. Archived from the original on 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  2. ↑ "5 marks Jewish developers made on Montgomery County". Washington Jewish Week. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  3. ↑ "Silver Spring's Jewish history 'long and complicated'". Washington Jewish Week . Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  4. ↑ Hearings before the United States Commission on Civil Rights: Housing (Statement of Eugene L. Sugarman), United States Government Printing Office, 1959, p. 405, retrieved 2023-04-26
  5. ↑ Rotenstein, David (February 21, 2018), "The ghosts of covenants past", History Sidebar blog, retrieved 2024-03-22
  6. ↑ Hearings before the United States Commission on Civil Rights: Housing (Statement of Eugene L. Sugarman), United States Government Printing Office, 1959, p. 397, retrieved 2024-03-22
  7. ↑ "IN 2022, 11 HATE AND ANTIGOVERNMENT GROUPS WERE TRACKED IN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA". Anti-Defamation League . Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  8. ↑ "Patriot Front". Anti-Defamation League . Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  9. ↑ "D.C.-area schools report more bias incidents against Jews, Palestinians". Washington Post . Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  10. ↑ "'I was afraid': DC rabbi talks about antisemitic attack outside Georgetown synagogue". WRC-TV . Retrieved 2024-03-22.