Antisemitism has long existed in the United States. Most Jewish community relations agencies in the United States draw distinctions between antisemitism, which is measured in terms of attitudes and behaviors, and the security and status of American Jews, which are both measured by the occurrence of specific incidents. FBI data shows that in every year since 1991, Jews were the most frequent victims of religiously motivated hate crimes.[1] The number of hate crimes against Jews may be underreported, as in the case for many other targeted groups.[2]
According to a survey which was conducted by the Anti-Defamation League in 2019, antisemitism is rejected by a majority of Americans, with 79% of them lauding Jews' cultural contributions to the nation. The same poll found that 19% of Americans adhered to the longstanding antisemitic canard that Jews co-control Wall Street,[3] while 31% agreed with the statement "Jewish employers go out of their way to hire other Jews".[4] In 2023, the Biden administration launched[5] the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, and in 2024, the US State Department (together with 35 other countries) released non-binding global guidelines for countering antisemitism.[6][7][8]
In August 2024, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that it had allocated $454.5 million for the 2024 fiscal year to securing Jewish religious institutions in light of rising antisemitism.[9] This is a $150 million increase from the 2023 budget.[9] According to an August 2024 survey by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, 3.5 million Jews in America have experienced antisemitism since the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Of the 1,075 American Jews interviewed, 28% claimed to have heard that "Jews care too much about money", 25% heard "Jews control the world", 14% heard "American Jews care more about Israel than about the US", and 13% heard "the Holocaust did not happen" or its "severity has been exaggerated".[10][11]
The survey above is mirrored by FBI's 2023 statistics that antisemitic incidents accounted for 68% of all religion-based hate crimes, a 63% bump vis-à-vis 2022, while the American Jewish Committee (AJC) said that it was "likely much lower" than the actual number as hate crimes had been "widely underreported across the country".[12]
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- ^ "ADL Urges Action After FBI Reports Jews Were Target of Most Religion-Based Hate Crimes in 2018". Anti-Defamation League.
- ^ Pink, Aiden (August 17, 2020). "Colleges express outrage about anti-Semitism— but fail to report it as a crime". The Forward. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ^ "ADL poll: Anti-Semitic attitudes on rise in USA". The Jerusalem Post. November 3, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
- ^ "Antisemitic Attitudes in the U.S.: A Guide to ADL's Latest Poll". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ^ Launch of U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, 25 May 2023, retrieved 2023-07-24
- ^ "Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism". State Department. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ Magid, Jacob (17 July 2024). "US leads countries adopting new guidelines for combatting antisemitism". Times of Israel. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "US and 35 countries, international bodies endorse Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism". Jerusalem Post. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ a b Hajdenberg, Jackie (28 August 2024). "US to spend record $454 million securing religious institutions as antisemitism spikes". Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Antisemitism in US at all-time high as American Jews report 'explosion of hate'". The Jerusalem Post. October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
A total of 10,000 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the US since October 7 - the highest number of incidents in the ADL's history.
- ^ "3.5 million US Jews experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7 Hamas attack, survey finds". The Times of Israel. October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^
- "AJC Warns: Staggering FBI Hate Crimes Data Likely Represents Under-Reporting of Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes". American Jewish Committee. September 23, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
With the FBI reporting that hate crimes against Jews increased a staggering 63% year over year, from 1,124 in 2022 to 1,832 in 2023, AJC recognizes that the actual numbers of incidents is likely greater, as hate crimes are widely underreported across the country. Despite Jews only accounting for 2% of the U.S. population, the community was the target of 68% of religiously motivated hate crimes committed in 2023.
- "Jewish community most targeted religious group, new FBI hate crime report says". The Jerusalem Post. September 23, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
"Despite Jews only accounting for 2% of the US population, the community was the target of 68% of religiously motivated hate crimes committed in 2023," AJC said in a statement.
- "New FBI Data Reflects Record-High Number of Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes". Anti-Defamation League. September 23, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
Although Jews only make up around 2 percent of the U.S. population, reported single-bias anti-Jewish hate crimes comprised 15 percent of all hate crimes and 68 percent of all reported religion-based hate crimes in 2023, which is consistent with patterns from prior years.
- "Antisemitic hate crimes in US surged 63% in 2023, to all-time high of 1,832 – FBI". The Times of Israel. September 23, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
Antisemitic incidents were 15% of all hate crimes in 2023, and 68% of all religion-based hate crimes, according to the data — even though Jews only make up some 2% of the US population.
- "FBI reports record-high antisemitic hate crimes in 2023, up 63% from 2022". Jewish Insider. September 23, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- "AJC Warns: Staggering FBI Hate Crimes Data Likely Represents Under-Reporting of Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes". American Jewish Committee. September 23, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.