All-time record number of antisemitic attacks in the US in 2024

In 2024, the United States recorded an alarming increase in antisemitic incidents, reaching the highest number since the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) began tracking these events in 1979.

According to the ADL's annual report, there were 9,354 antisemitic incidents reported nationwide, which included harassment, vandalism and aggression directed against Jews, Israeli Americans, Jewish institutions and places of worship.

Alarming numbers and trends

The total number of incidents in 2024 represents an increase of 5% over the 8,873 cases reported in 2023, a 344% increase over the past five years and a staggering 893% over the past decade.

Breaking down the data

Harassment was the most common type of incident, with 6,552 cases (an increase of 0.26%), followed by vandalism, which grew by 20% to 2,606 incidents. Assaults, although less frequent, increased by 21%, affecting 250 victims.

For the first time, 58% of incidents were related to Israel or Zionism, many of them linked to anti-Israeli protests. Of the 5,000 anti-Israeli protests and riots tracked by the ADL, more than half (2,596) included antisemitic messages in signs, chants or speeches.

Geographic distribution

Incidents were reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, but 64% were concentrated in 10 states, led by New York (1,437 cases), California (1,344) and New Jersey (719).

Other states with high incidence included Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, Illinois, Colorado and Virginia.

Metropolitan areas with the largest Jewish populations, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, recorded the highest levels of incidents.

In New York, 68% of cases occurred in New York City, with a 14% increase in vandalism and a 52% increase in assaults.

In California, Los Angeles saw a 153% increase in incidents against Jews, and 91% of religiously motivated hate crimes in the county targeted the Jewish community, according to a 2023 Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission report.

Impact on communities and institutions

Synagogues and other Jewish organizations were recurring targets, facing hundreds of bomb threats, harassment and incidents of aggression against congregants. On college campuses, antisemitic incidents increased 84%, representing 18% of the national total and setting another all-time high.

The report also highlights a dramatic increase in incidents following the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which exacerbated an already alarming trend, given that 2022 had also recorded an all-time high.

During the Democratic administration

Under the administration of President Joe Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom, hate crimes in Los Angeles County increased 45% between 2022 and 2023, from 930 to 1,350, according to the county's Human Relations Commission. The increase adds to a three-year trend of double-digit increases in the region.