Transcript for Mass shooting comes as hate crimes in the country are on the rise
The horrifying mass shooting in Pittsburgh comes as hate crimes in America are on the rise. The jewish community is a primary target. Matt Gutman has more. Reporter: With those screaming sirens it was the deadliest attack on the jewish community in the history of the United States. To those who monitor hate speech, it wasn’t surprising. Look, this isn’t happening in a vacuum. In 2017 we saw a 57% increase in anti-semitic incidents in the United States. Reporter: The anti defamation league has been monitoring hate speech for over 40 years. That 57% spike over last year, the biggest on record. What is disturbing is when these phrases move from the margins into the mainstream. Reporter: Pittsburgh comes a year after the unite the right rally in charlottesville. A young woman was killed there. Three years after a white supremacist opened fire at a jewish community center in Kansas killing three. This is the latest in a recent string of attacks on places of worship in general. It’s been a year since a gunman killed 26 people at a church in Texas and another at the ame church in sharls Charleston. What should send chills down the spines of Americans are the cat calls against Jews chanted against George Soros at political rallies. That Soros is somehow behind an international conspiracy, rings of long-standing anti-semitic myths. Watchdog groups worry that the theme is political rhetoric. They’re saying more than armed doors leaders need to tone down the way they talk to each other. Dan and Eva. All of this happening with just nine days to the midterms. It’s a difficult time in America. No question about that.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
