US campuses see record levels of antisemitism, but drop in violent attacks
Hillel International leaders cite newfound 'penalty for antisemitism on many universities' as driving online what would previously have been in-person incidents
A record 2,334 antisemitic incidents were reported on US college campuses during the 2024-2025 school year, even as violent attacks declined, Hillel International said Thursday, citing a new-found “penalty for antisemitism at many universities.”
The report came during a Trump administration campaign, following a wave of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel and often pro-Hamas demonstrations, to force universities to crack down on rule- and law-breaking protests, as well as to overhaul many academic programs and admissions practices. The campaign has divided the American Jewish community, and drawn accusations of trying to snuff out free expression.
The total number of reported antisemitic incidents on campuses was 26 percent higher this year than the 1,853 incidents recorded in 2023-2024, in the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. It was nearly 10 times the 289 incidents reported in the 2022-2023 year before the war started.
The number of incidents involving violence, threats of violence, vandalism and graffiti dropped by 22% to 752, the Jewish campus organization said. The main cause of the rise was a 185% rise in online harassment, it noted.
“Over the past year, many universities have made significant changes to better clarify and enforce their policies and codes of conduct, supported by our work with them to achieve these improvements,” said Hillel president and CEO Adam Lehman.
“When universities step up and enforce their rules, Jewish students and all students benefit from a safer, more inclusive campus environment,” he said.
Jon Falk, Hillel’s vice president of Israel engagement and confronting antisemitism, said in an interview: “What we saw this past year was there was a penalty for antisemitism at many universities, and so what it did is it took a lot of these incidents that would have happened on campus, and it moved them online.”
To collect the data, Hillel cross-referenced college and university bias reporting portals; reports from students; the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line; and ReportCampusHate.org, a joint project of Hillel, the Anti-Defamation League and the Secure Community Network, which coordinates security for Jewish institutions nationwide.
The data covers a period that included a string of recent attacks on Jewish groups and leaders, including the firebombing of Jewish Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home in April, the murders of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, DC, in May, and the deadly June firebombing of a group demonstrating for the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The day after each attack, Falk said, Hillel recorded a “spike” in antisemitic incidents on campuses.
“The next day, we would see a spike, both when it comes to social media and when it comes to targeting students,” he said.
“I don’t think folks truly understand the impact of incidents that happen outside of the campus space, and how they could impact the campus environment.”
Antisemitic incidents have spiked in the US and around the world since October 7. In the US, a record 9,354 cases of harassment, vandalism and assault were recorded in 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League.