Antisemitic incidents nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023 and “remained elevated through the first nine months of 2024,” according to the 2024 Study on Antisemitism in Texas from the Texas Holocaust, Genocide and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, part of a state agency.
The commission, which first released an antisemitism report two years ago, also found that “anti-Zionist rhetoric frequently escalates into harassment” on campuses and Jew-hatred was “reported in K-12 schools, including incidents where Jewish students were threatened.”
Houston and Austin were also among the 10 worst U.S. cities when it came to the distribution of antisemitic fliers, per the report, which noted that 200,000 Jews live in the state.
Kenneth Goldberg, chair of the commission, stated that “from campuses to communities, our commission has been actively fighting back so that Texans can come together to fight this scourge.”
He added that under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, “the State of Texas has made clear that antisemitism, whether disguised as a political protest or blatant hate, is unacceptable in any form.”
Among the report’s recommendations are penalizing those who wear masks while committing hate crimes, adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) ’s working definition of Jew-hatred in K-12 schools and providing antisemitism training throughout educational institutions.
