Report: 2025 third most violent year on record for American Jews

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

Last year was the third most violent year on record for American Jews, according to an analysis by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Although antisemitic incidents of harassment and vandalism significantly decreased last year from record highs in 2023 and 2024, physical assaults against Jews were the highest on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.

The ADL tracks reports of criminal and noncriminal incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism of property, and assault targeting individuals or groups because of their Jewish identity.

Last year, 6,274 incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault were reported, according to the data. That’s down from 9,354 incidents in 2024, The Center Square reported. While the 33% drop from 2024 is significant, ADL notes the number is still five times higher than it was 10 years ago.

Antisemitic incidents drastically increased nationwide after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. This was after antisemitic incidents were already at a historic high in 2022, with an 87% increase occurring in the southwest U.S., The Center Square reported. Incidents increased in 2023, breaking records. These records were again broken in 2024, the year with the highest incidents reported on record.

Physical assaults also slightly increased last year, up from 196 in 2024 and 203 in 2025.

Notably, three Jewish people were killed last year.

Incidents involving a deadly weapon also increased last year. Of the 32 reported, several made national news, including the Capital Jewish Museum shooting in Washington, D.C., where two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot to death. Another was in Colorado, where an Egyptian national threw Molotov cocktails into a crowd of people participating in a solidarity walk for hostages taken by Hamas. Another was the political assassination attempt of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro by a perpetrator who set the governor’s house on fire while he and his family slept inside.

In seven of the 32 cases, victims were targeted because of their perceived support of Israel, the analysis states.

The majority of antisemitic incidents that occurred nationwide occurred in public areas, followed by Jewish institutions, colleges and universities and K-12 public schools, according to the data.

The greatest number of antisemitic incidents occurred in New York (1,160), California (817) and New Jersey (687), according to the data.

The 10 states where the greatest number of antisemitic incidents were reported were New York, California, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, Texas, Maryland and Colorado.

New York City reported the most antisemitic incidents of any city in the country of 860. Manhattan accounted for more than half of the incidents, 465; followed by 278 in Brooklyn.

More than half of antisemitic assaults reported in New York, 56%, were reported in Brooklyn; 60% of all assaults statewide targeted Orthodox Jews, according to the data.

Los Angeles County reported the most antisemitic incidents of any county in the country.

It also accounted for nearly half of all incidents reported, 398. Nearly all incidents reported in the county were in Los Angeles, 322.

In New Jersey, Bergen County accounted for 20% of incidents in the state, 139. The communities of Teaneck, Bergenfield and Englewood were the most targeted, according to the analysis. Incidents of vandalism and assault also increased in New Jersey over the year.

One key factor for a marked reduction in violence and antisemitic attacks on college campuses was due to the encampment movement being shut down, the report notes. The ADL doesn’t credit the Trump administration or Congress for shutting it down.

As riots began and college campuses were taken over by pro-Hamas supporters who attacked Israeli and Jewish students, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding until the universities and colleges changed their policies to protect Jewish students. Congress also held several hearings resulting in the deans of Ivy League colleges being forced to resign.