A new study conducted by the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federations of North America shows a devastating growth in the acceptance of antisemitism in the U.S., and around the world. Their research has found that 57% of Jewish Americans now “consider antisemitism a normal part of the Jewish experience.”
Following the devastating Oct. 7 Hamas infiltration of Israel, in which 1,200 were horrifically murdered and 251 hostages were stolen back to Gaza, the ADL’s survey finds that “from college campuses to corporate boardrooms, from social media platforms to elementary school classrooms, antisemitism has become expected, accepted, and embedded in the fabric of society.”
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Among the most troubling findings is that over half of Jewish Americans report experiencing “at least some form of antisemitism in the past year,” with nearly one fifth of Jews saying they have been subject to verbal harassment, physical threats, and physical attacks. An astonishing 14% of American Jews report that they have prepared plans to escape the country, if necessary.
The finding was striking for ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt, who said in a press release about the findings that “when American Jews – who have built lives, careers, and families here for generations – are making contingency plans to flee, we must recognize this as a five-alarm fire for our entire country.”
The ADL’s statistics are hardly surprising to those who witnessed the rancor, violence, and hatred seen on American campuses and streets, where Hamas propaganda and other pro-terrorism agendas have been shared with no serious recourse. The atmosphere has trickled into K-12 schools, where 860 incidents of antisemitism were reported in 2024. Of these, 52% involved drawings of swastikas. 71% of Jewish parents of K-12 children say their children “encountered antisemitism in classrooms.”
ADL reports that there have been 12 terror plots motivated by antisemitism on U.S. soil since Oct. 7, 2023. This is double the amount recorded in the period between 2021 and 2022. Worldwide, the ADL reports that the percentage of adults who hold antisemitic beliefs increased from 26 to 46 percent, with 26,748 antisemitic incidents logged in the seven countries with the largest Jewish communities in 2024.
The ADL’s report does not capture the most recent harrowing event that highlighted the importance of its work. On Oct. 2, during Yom Kippur services, Jihad al-Shamie drove his vehicle into worshippers outside a synagogue in northern England, then went on a stabbing rampage. Police shot al-Shamie before he could detonate the possibly fake explosive apparatus strapped to his waist. One Jewish worshipper was killed and three were in serious condition hours after the attack. The response by British police was responsible for one additional death and one injury.
The ADL is working to counteract the spread of antisemitism through numerous initiatives. The organization is working with Congress and through social media platforms to counter hate online. ADL has also launched a Jewish Policy Index, which shows how each of the 50 states has responded to antisemitism within their borders through education, public policy, and legislation.
Other steps towards progress include the ADL’s successful advocacy for masking laws in New York, where protesters attempted to intimidate and harass New Yorkers while hiding their identities behind masks. The State of New York passed a law making it a crime to evade arrest by concealing one’s identity in May 2025.
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For all of the myriad angles the ADL is pursuing to challenge this virulent hatred, the biggest change of all must happen on the individual level. The time has long passed for the 54% of humans around the world who are not in thrall to hateful conspiracy theories and moved by prejudice to stand in support of the Jewish community.
The rise of this deep hatred inside the U.S. should be despicable. Those who fail to be personally stirred by cries of pain from their Jewish countrymen should take note, as the late Jonathan Sacks, Britain’s former chief rabbi, famously explained, “the hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews.”
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance contributor to Fox News and the host of The Afghanistan Project podcast.
