American Jewish antisemitism surged to record highs in 2024

American Jews faced the most antisemitic incidents ever recorded in the Anti-Defamation League’s audit, a surge that pushed security costs, campus vigilance and synagogue planning into daily life.

The ADL counted 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2024, up 5% from 8,873 in 2023 and the highest total in the 46-year history of its audit. The rise was especially sharp on U.S. college campuses, where the group recorded 1,694 incidents, an 84% jump from the year before.

The numbers help explain why security has become a constant feature of communal life. Jewish Federations of North America says its LiveSecure campaign is a $130 million effort for community safety and security, and it cites data showing 91% of Jews feel safer with a professional security presence. That shift is not abstract. It changes whether families walk into synagogue through a guarded entrance, how schools think about access, and how openly Jews move through public spaces.

The threat is also shaping how Jews view the wider public response. A 2025 ADL-Jewish Federations study found that more than half of American Jews reported experiencing antisemitism in 2024, while 50% said they believe most non-Jews would not stand with Jews if antisemitic threats or violence occurred. Jewish Federations also cites a 2023 Gallup poll showing 81% of Americans view antisemitism as a serious problem, a gap that underscores how widely the danger is recognized and how uncertain many Jews remain about support in a crisis.

Law enforcement data point to the same strain. The U.S. Department of Justice said agencies reported 11,862 hate crime incidents nationwide in 2023, and later reporting on FBI data found Jews were targeted in 68% of all religion-based hate crimes that year. For Jewish communities, that combination of rising incidents and uneven protection has turned antisemitism into a practical security issue, not just a political argument.

The 2024 totals also show where the pressure is most intense: campuses, where confrontation and intimidation have spread fastest, and institutions, where security spending has become routine even as incidents at Jewish institutions fell 14% from 2023. The drop did not return those institutions to pre-Oct. 7, 2023 levels. Instead, it showed how fear has settled in as a lasting condition, reshaping how American Jews attend school, gather in worship and decide how visible they can afford to be.