The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a significant increase in antisemitic incidents in the United States over 350% in the 100 days since the Israel-Hamas war began. The group has been tracking a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks and incidents since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, last year. Between October 7 and January 7, these incidents increased by 360% year over year, totaling 3,283 incidents, compared to 712 incidents in the same period the previous year.
The preliminary three-month tally is higher than the total number of antisemitic incidents tracked in any year in the last decade, except for 2022 when the total number reached a historic high of 3,697. Since October 7, 2023 has seen an average of 34 antisemitic incidents per day, making it the highest year for antisemitic acts against Jews since the late 1970s, according to ADL data.
The American Jewish community is facing an unprecedented threat level, with more antisemitic acts recorded in three months than in an entire year, according to ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. At least 505 of the incidents occurred on college campuses, while 250 were reported in lower schools. At least 628 incidents were reported against Jewish institutions, including synagogues and community centers. About two-thirds of the total incidents could be related to the Israel-Hamas war. The majority of antisemitic incidents have occurred in Washington, D.C., New York City, and other northeastern centers, with smaller clusters in California and Florida.
ADL plans to release a tool to assess antisemitism on individual campuses. The “report card” will provide a comprehensive tool and ranking to assess how colleges and universities are combating anti-Jewish hate. The report card aims to highlight the unacceptable situation on campuses and calls for clear action steps to achieve No Tolerance for Antisemitism, urging universities to commit to this goal.
