A vigil for victims of the Pittsburgh shooting (Wikimedia Commons) Earlier this week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released their annual Hate Crime Statistics which indicated a 37% increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes in 2017. The statistics are part of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, in which data is released yearly in order to track the bias-motivated crimes in America. The 37% increase marks the third year in a row in which the FBI has noted an increase in the number of anti-Semitic hate crimes, and makes 2017 one of the worst years on record. The statistics themselves are staggering, with an increase of over 1,050 overall hate crimes between 2016 and 2017. The statistics are compiled from reports submitted by over 16,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States. Over 13% of all hate crimes reported in 2017 were anti-Semitic in nature, a statistic made more alarming by the fact that Jewish citizens of the United States make up less than 2% of the population. Of the 1749 total victims of anti-religious hate crimes, 58.1%, or 1,016 were victims motivated by their offenders’ anti-Jewish bias. This was up from 862 in 2016. The statistics compiled by the FBI support earlier reports made by the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL report noted a 57% increase of anti-Semitic activity in the United States between 2016 to 2017, including, but not limited to, the same hate crimes detailed in the FBI report. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein noted that 88% of the law enforcement agencies which provided statistics on hate crimes for 2017 had reported zero incidents in 2016. “We are reviewing the accuracy of those reports,” said Rosenstein. “Simply because hate crimes are not reported does not mean they are not happening. We need you to help us understand the reasons that keep victims from reporting hate crimes. We also need to understand the barriers that law enforcement officers and agencies face in reporting hate crimes to the FBI.” The statistics have come under fire by civil rights organizations, such as the Arab American Institute, for not including enough incidents, with several high-profile shootings having been left off the list. The timing of the report, released mere weeks after a gunman killed eleven Jewish Americans in a Pittsburgh synagogue, is being seen as a wakeup call and a push for stronger hate crimes legislation in several states. Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, and Wyoming all currently have no state hate-crime laws.