Close to 2/3 of US Jews feel less safe than they did a year ago, says AJC study

Nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the US than they did a year ago, according to a new national survey.

The American Jewish Committee, a prominent advocacy organization, conducted the survey last fall just as the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. The number of American Jews who say they feel less secure in the US jumped 22% from last year’s survey.

The survey finds a quarter of American Jews say they have been the target of antisemitism in the past year. Almost half of American Jews responding to the survey say they had altered their behavior during the past year to avoid antisemitism – changing what they wore, what they posted online or where they went so other people wouldn’t know they were Jewish.

This year’s primary survey collected data from 1,528 Jewish adults in the US, conducted by the polling firm SSRS, with a margin of error of 3.5%.

Jews between 18 and 29 were more likely to report being the victim of antisemitism. As universities grapple with antisemitism, around a quarter of Jewish college students or recent graduates reported hiding their Jewish identity or refraining from speaking about Israel on campus.