(JTA) – Hate crimes against Jews in America rose by more than a third last year and accounted for 58 percent of all religion-based hate crimes, according to data released Tuesday, Nov. 13 by the FBI. Overall, hate crimes increased by 17 percent in 2017, the data showed, with 7,175 hate crimes reported, up from 6,121 in 2016. Some of the increase may be because more police departments are reporting their hate crimes data to the FBI than ever before, 6 percent above the previous year. The number of hate crimes based on religion is the second highest ever, behind only 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The report noted a 23 percent increase in religion-based hate crimes in 2017 to 1,564, representing about 20 percent of all hate crimes. There were a total of 938 hate crimes committed against Jews in 2017, up from 684 in 2016. The report covered jurisdictions in 49 states and the District of Columbia, the FBI said. At least 92 cities with populations of more than 100,000 either did not report any data to the FBI or reported zero hate crimes.

In 1990, Congress passed the Hate Crime Statistics Act, which required the U.S. attorney general to collect data “about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.”

CAP: Nazi-themed graffiti was found in the town of Wellsville, N.Y., the same day that Donald Trump won the presidential election, Nov. 9, 2016. (Twitter)