The rise in Jew-hatred after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, showed no sign of abating, as the Anti-Defamation League reported another new high in antisemitic incidents for 2024.
The 9,354 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism last year marked the fourth straight year that the ADL’s audit of such incidents reported a new yearly high. The 2024 totals, which the ADL released on Tuesday, were the highest since the group began tracing such incidents 46 years ago.
Instances of Jew-hatred in 2024 were up 5% over the 8,873 incidents reported in 2023 and represented more than 25 targeted incidents of Jew-hatred per day, the ADL said.
They occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The largest number took place in New York state with 1,437 incidents (more than half, 976, in New York City), and California with 1,344 (297 in Los Angeles).
“This horrifying level of antisemitism should never be accepted, and yet, as our data shows, it has become a persistent and grim reality for American Jewish communities,” stated Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL.
“Jewish Americans continue to be harassed, assaulted and targeted for who they are on a daily basis and everywhere they go,” Greenblatt said.
The difference between 2024 and previous years is that a majority of the incidents were related to Israel, including more than 2,500 antisemitic chants, slogans, speeches and signs at anti-Israel rallies. More than half of the rallies where antisemitic incidents occurred were organized or co-sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, according to the ADL.
The audit found that 5,452 incidents (58%) centered on the Jewish state. The incidents included expressing support for Hamas and the Oct. 7 attacks, likening Judaism or Zionism to Nazism and classic antisemitic tropes.
The numbers did not include rallies where speakers did not engage in antisemitic speech, such as opposing Israeli policies or supporting Palestinian rights, the ADL said.
“In 2024, hatred toward Israel was a driving force behind antisemitism across the United States, with more than half of all antisemitic incidents referencing Israel or Zionism,” stated Oren Segal, senior vice president for counter-extremism and intelligence at the ADL.
College campuses became hotbeds for anti-Israeli and antisemitic activity, with almost 1 in 5 incidents (18%) taking place at institutions of higher education. That was more than any other year.
The number of antisemitic incidents on college campuses rose to 1,694—an increase of 84% over 2023. In addition, incidents at Hillel centers rose 41% to 86, and at campus Chabad Centers by more than 100% to 17.
The ADL also found that assaults were up 21% to 196 incidents, with 30% involving Orthodox Jews. (Per Pew Research Center data, about 9% of U.S. Jews are Orthodox.) Antisemitic harassment was up less than 1% (to 6,553), including 647 bomb threats, and vandalism rose 20% to 2,606 incidents, with 37% including swastikas, according to the ADL.
“The depressing and despicable surge in antisemitism across New Jersey and our country should sound an alarm for every single American,” stated Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.).
“As we’ve seen time and time again, the safety and security of our Jewish families and communities are on the line,” the Jewish congressman said. “We cannot sit idly by while individuals in politics, pop culture or sports openly spew antisemitic tropes and hatred—the magnitude of this crisis demands real action.”
