Facts

Facts and Statistics about Antisemitism in the U.S.

According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of antisemitism adopted in 2016, “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” (IHRA)

7.5 Million +

Is the total Jewish population, both adult and children, in the U.S. This includes those who practice their religion and those who do not. (Brandeis)

Around 2.4%

of the U.S. adult population is Jewish, a percentage that has remained relatively stable in recent decades. (Pew Research)

Three-quarters

of American Jews polled in 2021 believed that levels of antisemitism in the United States were higher than five years beforehand. (Pew Research)

57% of all religious

hate crimes were committed against Jews in the five years through 2022. (FBI)

62% of U.S. Jews

enjoy sharing Jewish culture and holidays with their non-Jewish friends. (Pew Research)

A total of 5,595

anti-Jewish hate crimes were reported between 2017 and 2022, with Jewish people saying they feel increasingly less safe. (FBI)

59% of anti-Jewish

hate crimes in the United States in the five years leading up to 2022 involved vandalism of property. (FBI)

Since 2016

American Jews have been the target of at least 21 extremist plots or credible threats, some of which yielded deadly consequences. (ADL)

Jewish institutions

Including community centers and temples are also vulnerable targets, such as the fatal Tree of Life Synagogue attack in 2018. (FBI)

One in every seven

of anti-Jewish hate crimes between 2017-22 took place at elementary or secondary schools, or on college campuses. (FBI)

Highly antisemitic Americans

are 2-3 times more likely than the general population to support political violence to achieve political goals. (ADL)

At least 12-15%

of American Jews are people of color. That’s over a million Jews of color in the U.S. alone, and the younger Jewish population is growing in diversity. (JOCI)

Since the mid-1600s

Jews have been living in America, first arriving in New Amsterdam, the modern-day New York and home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the world. (Library of Congress)

In a 1790 declaration

to the Newport Hebrew Congregation, George Washington wrote the U.S. gives “to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” (Library of Congress)

A growing proportion

of antisemitic incidents incorporate anti-Israel or anti-Zionist elements, such as graffiti. Students are sometimes targeted for perceived support of, or loyalty to, Israel. (ADL)

“globalist”

and “cosmopolitan elite,” along with similar terms, may function as antisemitic dog whistles and personalized slurs in certain contexts. (AJC)

Dangerous antisemitic tropes

took hold in medieval Europe, where Jews were accused of everything from child murder to poisoning wells. Versions of these myths persist to this day. (Facing History)

26% of American Jews

said they were a target of an antisemitic incident, whether verbal, physical, in person or online, according to a 2022 survey. (AJC)

23% of Jewish adults

avoided wearing, carrying, or displaying things that might help people identify them as Jewish in the previous 12 months. (AJC)

Racialized antisemitism

is the idea that Jews are a distinct race of people with fixed traits. It is often used as a means to demonize and debase Jewishness. (Facing History)

As many as 85%

of young Jewish people aged 18-29 have seen or were targets of online antisemitism in the preceding 12 months. (AJC)

Conspiracies

often consist of common antisemitic tropes such as Jews are imposters (“not real Jews”), and that they control media banks and government. (AJC)

The U.S. government

is taking antisemitism increasingly seriously, and recently released a national strategy to combat antisemitism. (White House)

Types of antisemitism witnessed

on college campuses include hate speech, wishing death on Jews, discrimination, bullying, harassment, physical assault and vandalism. (ADL)