3.5 million US Jews experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7 Hamas attack, survey finds

Combat Antisemitism Movement reports 61% said they had encounters; 380,000 children personally felt antisemitism; less than half feel law enforcement is effective

A protester holds an antisemitic sign at an anti-Israel demonstration in Washington on July 24, 2024. (Jacob Magid/Times of Israel)
A protester holds an antisemitic sign at an anti-Israel demonstration in Washington on July 24, 2024. (Jacob Magid/Times of Israel)

An estimated 3.5 million American Jews experienced antisemitism since October 7, 2023, the day of the massive Hamas attack on Israel, a figure representing nearly two-thirds of the entire US Jewish community, according to a poll released Monday.

Among respondents to the Combat Antisemitism Movement survey, 61 percent said they had personal experiences over the past year.

With the total US Jewish community given as 5.8 million, global watchdog CAM said figures showed that one-fifth of Jewish children — 380,000 — have personally experienced antisemitism since October 7.

Respondents reported being exposed to antisemitic tropes, with 28% saying they heard in their presence that “Jews care too much about money,” 25% hearing “Jews control the world,” 14% hearing that “American Jews care more about Israel than about the US,” and 13% hearing that the Holocaust did not happen or “its severity has been exaggerated.”

Over a fifth (21%) said they heard the use of the word “Zionist” in a “negative way when someone means Jews.”

The principle group behind the most serious incidents of antisemitism were pro-Palestinians, accounting for 17%, according to respondents.

“The explosion of anti-Jewish hate since October 7th in this country has profoundly impacted individuals, families, and communities,” said Misha Galperin of the Combat Antisemitism Movement in a statement. “The extent of that impact on American Jews documented by this survey is simply stunning.”

An antisemitic sign at a pro-Palestinian protest of NYU students and others in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park on October 25, 2023. (Screen capture/X)

The telephone and online survey sampled 1,075 American Jews between August 12 and September 3, 2024. It was conducted by Dr. Ira Sheskin of the University of Miami and administered by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

Local communities also experienced a “sharp increase,” with 25% of Jewish adults saying there was antisemitism in their area, a rate that was more than double that found in previous reports.

A quarter of Jews affiliated with a Jewish organization or synagogue said that the institution had been targeted with graffiti, threats, or attacks over the past year. Likewise, 21% said local businesses had been targeted by vandals during that period and 18% of respondents said they feel uncomfortable or unsafe in their workplace.

According to respondents, only one in four Jews report antisemitic incidents to anyone other than their own families.

Just 21% said they reported to police antisemitic incidents in which the attacker physically touched them. A similar percentage said they went to police if they were the target of vandalism or messaging such as flyers or pamphlets left on their property.

The poll found that 61% of American Jews said they feel less safe since the Hamas attack. A fifth (20%) said they did not attend a Jewish event because they felt less safe than they had before October 7.

Over a quarter (27%) said they now avoid showing their Jewish identity in the workplace, compared to 18% who said they would do so before October 7.

Security concerns have brought a drop in the perceived effectiveness of law enforcement with less than half (46%) saying they thought law enforcement was “somewhat or very effective,” down from previous reports compared to 81% in a 2019 Amerian Jewish Congress poll.

Of particular concern are college campuses, where 39% said they felt “uncomfortable or unsafe” at a campus event while 29% said they have felt excluded or were excluded from a group or event for being Jewish.

Among respondents, 13% were defined as “college-related” or about 750,000 Jewish adults, the report said.

The animosity also came from staff, with a quarter of college-affiliated respondents saying they have been discriminated against or made to feel uncomfortable by a faculty member, teaching assistant, or instructor due to their Jewish identity. A “climate of fear” has caused self-censorship, with 35% of Jewish students not expressing their views about Israel on campus due to fear of antisemitism, compared to a previous figure of 29%.

Antisemitism on social media has also climbed, as 58% of respondents said they saw antisemitic content online since October 7 and 16% said they were targeted due to their Jewish identity, a rate that was twice that reported in 2020.

The worst platform was Facebook, with 59% saying that was where they saw the offensive content, followed by Instagram (39%), X (28%), YouTube (23%), and TikTok (19%).

Antisemitism has also seeped into politics, with 43% saying it would impact their voting.

Of those who said it would have an impact, 17% said they usually vote Democratic but would switch to Republican, while 9% said they would move from Republican to Democratic.

On the upside, nearly half (49%) said they had received support from non-Jewish people because of their Jewish identity, a jump from the 33% found in previous studies.

Ira Sheskin, professor of Geography and the director of the Jewish Demography Project of the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies at the University of Miami, said in the statement, “The results are deeply concerning and highlight the need for immediate action to address rising antisemitism in America.”

The CAM survey was released a day after the Anti-Defamation League reported there were over 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the US during the year since October 7, the highest annual figure since the watchdog began tracking in 1979.

It marked the second year in a row of record highs following 8,873 antisemitic incidents in 2023, which was a 140% increase over the previous year.

The CAM antisemitism survey results came on the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel last year.

During the attack, Hamas terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. The atrocities committed during the attack included sexual abuse, the murder of entire families, and the massive destruction of homes in Israeli communities near the Gaza border.

There was a sharp spike in antisemitism around the world as Israel responded to the attack with a military offensive in the Gaza Strip aimed at destroying Hamas and saving the hostages.

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