Antisemitic incidents, partly fueled by campus protests, reached record-breaking high in 2024, according to the ADL

By Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN

(CNN) — Antisemitic incidents in the United States rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2024, hitting their highest level since the Anti-Defamation League started tracking them in 1979, according to the organization’s annual audit released Tuesday.

The audit identified 9,354 cases of assault, harassment, and vandalism in 2024, marking a 5% increase from 2023, when the ADL recorded 8,873 incidents, and a 344% surge over the past five years.

The record-breaking number is based on incidents reported by victims, the media, law enforcement, and partner groups, according to the ADL.

The majority of the incidents in 2024 — 6,552 — were classified as harassment, defined by the organization as cases where someone targets one or more Jewish people or people perceived to be Jewish with language that includes antisemitic slurs, stereotypes, or tropes. Vandalism was the second highest, with 2,606 incidents, marking a 20% increase from 2023.

For the first time, a majority of antisemitic incidents — 58% — were related to Israel or Zionism, with many occurring at anti-Israel rallies.

The ADL does not conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with antisemitism, the report says. “Legitimate political protest, support for Palestinian rights or expressions of opposition to Israeli policies” are not included in the audit.

“Hatred toward Israel was a driving force behind antisemitism across the U.S.,” Oren Segal, ADL’s senior vice president for counter-extremism and intelligence, said in a statement.

“These incidents … serve as a clear reminder that silence is not an option,” Segal said.

The audit details where antisemitic incidents most commonly occur, noting that this “provides critical insight into how different environments contribute to — or fail to protect against — antisemitic activity.”

Antisemitic incidents on college campuses increased by 84% between 2023 and 2024, accounting for 18% of all incidents, the report says.

Many of these incidents occurred during protests on college campuses between mid-April and mid-May 2024 in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The Trump administration has revoked student visas and cut federal funding to colleges and universities accused of tolerating antisemitism.

Incidents in public areas and commercial spaces, including Jewish-owned businesses, also increased. However, non-Jewish K-12 schools experienced a decrease in antisemitism cases.

The three states with the highest number of incidents were New York, California, and New Jersey, according to the audit.

“Good people must stand up, push back, and confront antisemitism wherever it appears. And that starts with understanding what fuels it and learning to recognize it in all its forms,” Segal said.

The report noted the continued increase shows antisemitism “has become a persistent reality for American Jewish communities rather than a temporary spike in the months immediately after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.”

“This horrifying level of antisemitism should never be accepted and yet, as our data shows, it has become a persistent and grim reality for American Jewish communities,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a news release.

“Jewish Americans continue to be harassed, assaulted and targeted for who they are on a daily basis and everywhere they go. But let’s be clear: we will remain proud of our Jewish culture, religion and identities, and we will not be intimidated by bigots,” he said.

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