The FBI’s latest hate crime statistics paint a disturbing picture of rising antisemitism in America, with anti-Jewish incidents reaching unprecedented levels in 2024. Despite an overall decrease in hate crimes nationwide, crimes targeting Jewish Americans surged to record-breaking numbers, highlighting a troubling trend that has persisted since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

According to the FBI’s annual hate crime report released this week, antisemitic hate crimes increased by 5.8% in 2024, reaching 1,938 incidents—the highest number recorded in over three decades of federal tracking. This translates to more than five antisemitic hate crimes occurring every day across the United States, targeting a community that represents just 2% of the American population.

The scale of anti-Jewish targeting becomes even more stark when viewed within the context of religion-based hate crimes. A staggering 70% of all religion-based hate crimes reported to the FBI in 2024 targeted Jews, with 2,041 out of 2,942 total incidents being antisemitic in nature. This represents approximately 17% of all hate crimes reported nationwide.

In comparison, Muslims—the second-most targeted religious group—were victims of 256 offenses, accounting for about 9% of religion-based hate crimes. This means Jews, who comprise just 2% of the American population, are targeted in religious hate crimes at a rate 35 times higher than their proportion of the population would suggest, while experiencing attacks at nearly 8 times the rate of the next most-targeted religious group.

The FBI data reveals that antisemitic hate crimes took various forms throughout 2024:

• Vandalism: More than half of the incidents involved property damage and defacement
• Intimidation: The second-largest category of offenses
• Physical Assaults: Approximately 178 incidents involved direct violence against victims
• Synagogue Attacks: 260 incidents occurred at Jewish houses of worship

These crimes ranged from harassment and property damage to false bomb threats, break-ins, and acts of terror, creating a climate of fear within Jewish communities nationwide.

The wave of antisemitic violence was not confined to any single region. New York City’s Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn experienced a particularly violent series of attacks, including:

• Three masked men attempting to rob a Hasidic man after stalking him through the neighborhood
• A middle-aged Hasidic man being beaten after refusing to surrender his cell phone during an attempted robbery
• A 13-year-old Jewish boy being attacked while commuting to school on his bicycle
• A visibly Jewish man being slashed in the face by an assailant

Massachusetts saw federal prosecution of John Reardon, 59, who was convicted for threatening mass killings of Jews. Over several months, Reardon called Jewish institutions across the state, promising to kill Jewish men, women, and children in their houses of worship and threatening to plant bombs in synagogues in Sharon and Attleboro. He also made 98 threatening calls to the Israeli Consulate in Boston.

The surge in antisemitic violence has not abated in 2025, with several high-profile incidents already occurring:

Washington, D.C. Embassy Shooting: In June, a gunman murdered two Israeli embassy staffers as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The suspect, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, yelled “Free Palestine” during his arrest and told law enforcement he “did it for Gaza.”

Hostage Demonstration Attack: Less than two weeks after the embassy shooting, a man firebombed a crowd participating in a demonstration to raise awareness of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The attack resulted in the death of 82-year-old Karen Diamond, who sustained fatal injuries.

San Francisco Assault: In another incident motivated by anti-Zionist sentiment, Juan Diaz-Rivas and others allegedly beat a Jewish victim while shouting “F—k the Jews, Free Palestine.” The victim was punched, fell to the ground, lost consciousness, and was then kicked and punched while down. A nearby worker who attempted to intervene was also assaulted.

Jewish community leaders have expressed alarm at the data, calling for comprehensive societal intervention to address the crisis.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), emphasized the lived experience of Jewish Americans: “Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, Jewish Americans have not had a moment of respite and have experienced antisemitism at K-12 school, on college campuses, in the public square, at work, and Jewish institutions.”

The ADL’s own tracking, which includes both criminal and non-criminal incidents, documented 9,354 antisemitic incidents in 2024—a 5% increase from the previous year and the highest number since the organization began tracking such data in 1979.

Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), called for leadership across all sectors of society: “Leaders of every kind — teachers, law enforcement officers, government officials, business owners, university presidents — must confront antisemitism head-on. Jews are being targeted not just out of hate, but because some wrongly believe that violence or intimidation is justified by global events.”

The surge in antisemitic incidents coincides with heightened tensions following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza. However, experts note that this context does not justify the targeting of American Jews, who are being held responsible for international events beyond their control.

The AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Jews said the status of Jews in America is less secure than a year ago, up from 41% in 2022—a finding that appears to be corroborated by the FBI’s criminal data.

It’s important to note that the FBI’s hate crime statistics likely represent an undercount of actual incidents. The report does not stipulate how many of the recorded hate crimes resulted in convictions, and some major cities that do not report hate crimes to the FBI are excluded from the statistics entirely.

The American Jewish Committee has warned that the staggering FBI data likely represents under-reporting of anti-Jewish hate crimes, suggesting the actual scope of the problem may be even larger than these already record-breaking numbers indicate.

The FBI’s 2024 hate crime data serves as a stark reminder of the persistent and growing threat of antisemitism in America. With Jewish Americans experiencing harassment, violence, and intimidation at unprecedented levels, community leaders, law enforcement, and policymakers face mounting pressure to develop comprehensive strategies to protect Jewish communities and combat the rising tide of hate.

The data underscores the urgent need for educational initiatives, stronger law enforcement responses, and broader societal efforts to counter antisemitic narratives and protect all Americans’ right to live free from fear and persecution based on their religion or ethnicity.