The NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have come together to fight the rising number of hate incidents in New Jersey, reports The Philadelphia Tribune. 

The announcement comes after two NAACP officials made anti-Semitic remarks. Branch President Jeffrey Dye was suspended in August and prohibited from holding office in the organization due to his remarks.

"NAACP SHOULD BE SEEKING REPARATIONS BUT I DON’T SEE IT BECAUSE IF JEWS GOT IT WE DAMN SURE SHOULD GET IT TOO,” Dye wrote on Facebook according to the New Jersey Globe. 

Education chair James Harris was also asked to temporarily step down from his duties for six months after accusing the Orthodox Jewish community of “gutting” the public schools, reports Montclair Local News. He also said the Hasidic Jews were trying to convince New Jersey residents to sell their homes. 

“There’ve been so many people in our communities, our collective communities, saying that the Black and Jewish relationship is not as strong as it once was,” said Evan Bernstein, ADL regional director for New Jersey and New York. “We wanted to show that that is not the case, and that there is a working partnership.”

The partnership will build on a decades-long relationship between the two organizations. 

“To the Jewish community in New Jersey, I want you to know — the NAACP stands with you in this challenging time and in all times. We look forward to working together to build stronger communities where we all can prosper and fight against the voices and perpetrators of hate,” said Richard T. Smith, President of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference. 

The two organizations have promised to help one another fight back against the hate they have faced. 

“We will not allow individuals to drive a wedge between our communities,” Smith said. “Over the long haul of the years, we both have proven that we are too strong for that.”

ADL and the NAACP will develop and offer anti-bias training to public officials, according to the ADL website. They will also build bridges of understanding through listening sessions with constituents of the groups. 

“We are hopeful and confident that our renewed partnership with NAACP will allow our communities to lock arms and stand together against bigotry and those who seek to distract and divide us from the critical work ahead,” said Bernstein. 

According to the most recent FBI data available, anti-Jewish hate crimes have increased by 108% in New Jersey since 2016. The state saw the second-highest number of hate crimes nationally in 2018, reports the Philadelphia Tribune. 

Just last month, there was a fatal shooting at a Jewish deli in Jersey City that left a police officer and three other people dead, reports NPR. According to local authorities it was a targeted attack, and the two shooters, who were also killed, singled out the kosher market.