Antisemitism on the rise in Myrtle Beach area. Southeast state sees 50% increase in hate.

The exact number of antisemitic acts across Horry County isn’t known, but recent incidents that saw hate-filled fliers strewn across driveways is prompting action by leaders in another beachfront city.

North Myrtle Beach on Jan. 10 became the second Grand Strand city to adopt a resolution decrying acts of antisemitism — joining a wave of communities nationally that have taken similar steps as violence against Jewish people continue to rise.

“We have people from all walks of life in this city, we have people of all origins and all religions, and they’re good business people and they’re good members,” North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley said Jan. 9 ahead of a city council vote to condemn antisemitism via resolution. “You are welcome in this community and you are loved in this community, no matter what your religion is.”

South Carolina is home to roughly 8,160 Jewish people — three-tenths of the state’s overall population. The state saw at least 54 acts of antisemitism between Jan. 1, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2022 according to an Anti-Defamation League heat map.

Eytan Davidson, ADL’s southeastern regional director, said the five-state area saw a 50% jump in antisemitic incidents last year.

“In general, there’s a growing awareness in the southeast that antisemitism is reaching levels we haven’t seen in decades, and that is a problem that threatens all of our communities,” Davidson told The Sun News Jan. 10. “So when communities like Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach adopt resolutions condemning antisemitism, it is encouraging. It shows that people are paying attention.”

Hatley could not immediately be reached for comment Jan. 10.

The city’s move comes nearly a month after Myrtle Beach leaders took similar action as Hannukah approached.

Myrtle Beach leaders condemn anti-semitic flyers found on doorsteps days before Hanukkah starts

“Antisemitism, including harassment on the basis of actual or perceived Jewish origin, ancestry, ethnicity, identity, affiliation, or faith remains a persistent, pervasive, and disturbing problem in American society,” North Myrtle Beach’s resolution says.

Cities including Bloomington, Ind., Greenburgh, N.Y., and Madison, Wis. have all taken similar steps over the past several months.

“People follow what is happening in their cities, their towns, their neighborhoods. And what happens locally matters to people and communities,” Davidson said. “In these cities, what your neighbor says, you’re going to listen, so those kinds of dynamics are real.”