"We seem to be backsliding into a new nativist era. This endangers us all," he said.
Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic acts rose in 2016 in the presidential election and have continued in 2017, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, explained in his testimony.
Anti-Semitic incidents rose by over one-third in 2016 with "1,266 acts targeting Jews and Jewish institutions," according to the ADL 2016 audit of incidents.
The campaign only intensified tensions that had already been aggravated, he added.
"And anti-Semitic abuse has soared on social media," he noted, as "hateful, anti-Semitic invective" flourished on the mediums during the election season as well as harassment of Jewish journalists by white supremacists including the use of "triple parentheses, to publicly 'tag' Jews online."
The election "featured harshly anti-Muslim rhetoric and anti-Semitic dog whistles," he said, "and fostered an atmosphere in which white supremacists and other anti-Semites and bigots feel emboldened and believe that their views are becoming more broadly acceptable."
President Trump's "initial reluctance to address rising anti-Semitism" has helped normalize this bigotry, Greenblatt said, and some of his supporters played a direct role in it.
"Much of the vandalism and harassment used slogans sourced from the Trump campaign such as 'Make America Great Again,'" he said. Incidents during and after the election – anti-Semitic graffiti and assault – were perpetrated with expressed support for Trump.
In addition, in the election there were "stereotyping of many groups, including women and immigrants, threats to ban Muslims from entering or living in the country, pronouncements that Islam 'hates' America, mocking of disabled people, and political candidates attacking one another based on their physical appearance," he said.
Dr. Singh said he "was horrified to hear our President last weekend telling thousands of people at a rally that immigrants are snakes waiting to bite America," he referred to Trump's words at a recent rally in Harrisburg, Pa.
"Words matter, and when political leaders divide and dehumanize us, this lays the groundwork for hate to infect our society," he stated.
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All this has not only continued in 2017, but the number of incidents has spiked sharply, Greenblatt said.
He noted 161 bomb threats against Jewish synagogues or buildings so far and three reported desecrations of Jewish cemeteries.
"The bomb threats against JCCs, schools, ADL offices, and other community institutions in dozens of states across the country attracted very considerable attention," he said, "causing evacuations, significant service disruptions, program cancellations, and deep community anxiety."
Some of the threats were graphic in nature, warning of a "bloodbath" or the decapitations of Jews in explosions.
Action must be taken to stem these incidents, witnesses insisted. Preventative measures could include mandatory reporting laws for hate crimes, a federal inter-agency task force on hate crimes, and public officials speaking out against bigotry.
Dr. Singh shared how his son will soon enter Kindergarten, yet according to statistics, will probably be the victim of bigotry.