The greatest number of antisemitic attacks were reported last year, 9,354, according to an annual report published by the Anti-Defamation League.
The majority of incidents, 64%, occurred in 10 states, eight of which are led by Democrats, The Center Square reported.
According to the ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in 2024, New York state led the U.S. with the greatest number of incidents, 1,437, accounting for 15% of the national total. California ranked second with 1,344 incidents.
The ADL tracks incidents targeting Jewish- or Israeli-Americans or Jewish institutions and houses of worship; categories include harassment, vandalism and assault.
Last year, New York “reached levels unprecedented in recent history, with assaults increasing by 52% in 2024 and a staggering 583% over the past five years,” the ADL states.
New York, which has the largest Jewish population in the U.S., accounted for nearly one-third of all antisemitic assaults nationwide.
Additionally, “the targeting of Orthodox Jews has become particularly concerning, with Brooklyn alone – home to numerous Orthodox Jewish communities – accounting for 39% of all assaults in the state,” the report notes, reflecting “a dangerous pattern of escalating violence against visibly Jewish individuals.”
Similar to a pattern nationwide, the majority of incidents, 58%, were related to Israel.
Notably, incidents were higher in Democratic-run states due to higher education institution policies that allowed pro-Hamas rioters to take over college campuses with little to no consequences for attacks against Jewish students.
In New York, antisemitism on college campuses surged over the year by 163%, with 66% occurring on college campuses in New York City. Among them, 27% occurred at Columbia University and Barnard College alone.
“More incidents occurred at colleges and universities in New York than in any other state. Columbia University became the epicenter of campus antisemitism during the spring 2024 encampments, when Jewish students reported being harassed, intimidated and denied access to campus facilities,” the ADL said. “Similar incidents at New York University further contributed to New York’s position as the national leader in campus antisemitism.”
On his ninth day in office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to combat antisemitism.
After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, Trump said an “unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence [was unleashed] against our citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses. Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault.”
His administration began targeting higher education institutions being investigated by Congress where some of the worst violence occurred, including Columbia University, Harvard and others. This includes withholding billions of dollars-worth of taxpayer-funded grants to higher education institutions unless they implement policies that prohibit antisemitism, pro-Hamas riots and the targeting of Jewish students on their campuses.
In March, Trump’s DOJ announced it was investigating Columbia for allegedly sheltering illegal foreign nationals and its antisemitism task force would be visiting 10 universities where the most violence was committed against Jewish students, The Center Square reported. Columbia and NYU were top on the list, which also includes UCLA, Cal Berkeley, and Southern Cal in California.
Not soon after, Columbia announced it would comply with Trump administration demands. UCLA also launched an initiative to combat antisemitism declaring that it remained committed to “extinguishing it in its entirety,” The Center Square reported.
Last year, antisemitic incidents increased in California, with the greatest number of incidents reported in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.
California notably had a surge of bomb threats in January and antisemitic incidents spiked in April, the report found. Bomb threats increased by 116% over the year; incidents targeting Jewish institutions increased by 57% over the year, the ADL found.
Antisemitic incidents increased on California college campuses by 69% over the year; assaults increased for the third straight year – up 10% over the year and up 154% since 2022, according to the ADL report.
