Only 9 US states have strong antisemitism policies, ADL says, unveiling new monitoring tool

The antisemitism watchdog has launched a system to evaluate how each US state responds to anti-Jewish hatred through legislation, education and public policy

By Zev Stub

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11 August 2025, 6:01 pm

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Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.

Only nine of the 50 US states have implemented most of the best practices for fighting antisemitism, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said Friday.

A new tool created by the antisemitism watchdog will be used to evaluate each US state’s response to antisemitism through legislation, education and public policy.

ADL said its Jewish Policy Index (JPI) was created in response to the unprecedented surge in antisemitic incidents in recent years, and in the aftermath of recent violent attacks against Jewish communities in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, DC.

Antisemitism has soared in the US and around the world since Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023. The number of antisemitic incidents in the US broke annual records for the fourth consecutive year in 2024, with 9,354 recorded cases of harassment, vandalism and assault, ADL said in April. That translates to more than 25 targeted anti-Jewish incidents per day, or more than one every hour.

The first JPI Index found that nine states are combating antisemitism through meaningful legislative action: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Twelve states were found to be showing little effort to address antisemitism through policy. These included Delaware, Vermont, Idaho, Mississippi, South Dakota, Hawaii, South Carolina, New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.

A mourner lights a candle during a vigil for the victims of the Capital Jewish Museum shooting outside of the White House on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Two Israeli Embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were gunned down after an event at the museum by a man shouting slogans in support for Palestine. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP)

In the middle were 29 states showing alignment with some of the ADL’s key pieces of the policy agenda while demonstrating a clear path for future action, ADL said.

States were evaluated based on 22 criteria, grouped into three key categories: prioritizing fighting antisemitism, educating about the Jewish experience, and protecting Jewish communities.

Residents of each state can use the index to identify where their state falls short, understand the specific steps needed for improvement, and push lawmakers for stronger protections, ADL said.

“ADL has long been calling for a whole-of-government approach to fighting antisemitism, and the Jewish Policy Index fills a critical gap by providing a clear roadmap for states to support their Jewish communities,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “With antisemitic incidents at record highs nationwide, we need more than rhetoric — we need real, measurable policy action. This tool offers us a comprehensive picture of where states are and what steps they can take to do better.”

In recent years, the ADL has been actively tracking the growth of antisemitic activity in multiple spheres, with recent reports profiling college efforts to fight hatred, alleged AI bias, misinformation on Wikipedia, and global antisemitic beliefs.