More than half of Jewish Americans say they've faced antisemitism in the past year — and most now see it as a routine part of Jewish life, according to a new survey marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
Why it matters: The findings released Monday by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Jewish Federations of North America underscore how rising antisemitic incidents have reshaped life for Jewish Americans, two years after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack reignited tensions worldwide.
The big picture: The results highlight how antisemitism, once seen as fringe, has entered mainstream discourse, influencing politics, campuses and public life.
By the numbers: Over half (55%) of Jewish Americans said they've experienced at least one form of antisemitism in the past 12 months, the survey found.
- 57% believe that antisemitism is now a normal Jewish experience.
- Nearly one-in-five respondents reported that they were either physically assaulted, physically threatened or verbally harassed because of their Jewish identity in the past year.
- Over one-third said they've witnessed an incident of actual or threatened antisemitic violence in 12 months.
Zoom in: The survey found that 48% of Jewish Americans reported taking actions to increase their personal security and sense of safety.
- 33% said they're developing worst-case scenario plans, and 14% say they've created plans to flee the country.
What they're saying: "It is so profoundly sad that Jewish Americans are now discussing worst-case scenarios," said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and national director, in a statement.
- Greenblatt said it's a "five-alarm fire for our entire country" if some Jewish Americans think it's so bad that they are making plans to flee the U.S. if it gets worse.
- Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America, said even in this climate, there are signs of a surge in Jewish engagement "in the face of hate."
State of play: The number of hate crimes in the past few years hit record levels. Analysts say antisemitic crimes rose again last year.
- More than half of hate crimes recorded last year involved attacks motivated by race or ethnicity, the FBI Crime Data Explorer database showed.
- Black Americans were the most targeted group, followed by Jewish Americans, then gay men, according to the data.
Context: Rising hate crimes, ongoing military conflict in the Middle East, and inflammatory rhetoric online are creating more anxiety in Jewish communities as synagogues and religious schools beef up security and some households downplay High Holy Days celebrations.
- MAGA activists have launched a crusade against the ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center, accusing them of smearing conservatives as extremists.
- FBI Director Kash Patel severed ties last week between the bureau and both the ADL and SPLC, the government's decades-long partners in tracking extremist networks, training FBI agents and consulting on hate-crime enforcement.
The rupture followed MAGA outrage that both organizations had listed Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA in their online resources about hate groups.
Methodology: The ADL surveyed 2,982 Jewish Americans between May 27 to July 6, 2025. The polls are based on a sample representative of the Jewish American population that is registered to vote.
- The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample.
