According to league figures, Nassau had 75 reported incidents of anti-Semitic vandalism, assaults, threats and harassment in 1987, up from 38 in 1986, 56 in 1985 and 72 in 1984. Suffolk had 93 incidents this year, up 19.2 percent compared with 78 incidents in 1986, 77 in 1985 and 114 in 1984.

Incidents reported on Long Island in 1987 included the desecration in April of Beth David cemetery in Elmont, where numerous tombstones were overturned and about 15 were damaged. In Cedarhurst, anti-Semitic slogans and swastikas were painted on a restaurant. In May, a Merrick family received anti-Semitic phone calls. In Suffolk, threats were made against a Jewish police officer in July.

Nassau Police said they see a different trend: Unusually few incidents were reported in 1986, and the 1987 rise was merely a "leveling off," said Insp. Kenneth Carey, coordinator of bias incident investigations for the Nassau police. Carey said his records show that there were 54 anti-Semitic cases investigated by Nassau police in 1987; 31 in 1986; 66 in 1985; 67 in 1984 and 79 in 1983.