(The Center Square) – The number of antisemitic attacks tracked by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 2024 were the largest on record since it began reporting antisemitic incidents in 1979.
Last year, there were 9,354 antisemitic incidents reported nationwide, including of harassment, vandalism and assault against Jewish- and Israeli-Americans or Jewish institutions and houses of worship.
The majority, 64%, occurred in 10 states, eight of which are led by Democrats. New York led the U.S. with the most of 1,437, followed by California’s 1,344 and New Jersey’s 719. Rounding out the top 10 were Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, Illinois, Colorado and Virginia.
Nationwide, the number of incidents reported last year represent a 5% increase from 2023’s 8,873 incidents, representing a 344% increase over the past five years and 893% increase over the past 10 years. Last year’s total “is the highest number on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents 46 years ago,” the ADL said.
Incidents of vandalism and assault increased significantly last year. Assaults increased by 21%, impacting 250 victims; vandalism increased by 20% to 2,606 reported incidents. Harassment incidents remained relatively steady, increasing by 0.26%, totaling 6,552 last year, according to the data.
For the first time since 1979, a majority of the incidents reported, 58%, related to Israel or Zionism, with a large portion occurring at or in the vicinity of anti-Israel protests.
More than half of the 5,000 anti-Israel protests and riots that occurred in 2024 that ADL tracked, 2,596, involved antisemitic messages on signs, in chants or speeches.
Antisemitic incidents on college and university campuses increased by 84% over the year; incidents on campuses comprised 18% of all incidents reported nationwide and the most ever recorded by ADL since 1979.
Jewish organizations, particularly synagogues, remained a key target of antisemitic attacks, including hundreds of bomb threats. Congregants were also harassed and assaulted while at or in the vicinity of Jewish institutions, the report found.
Incidents occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As in previous years, metropolitan areas with the largest Jewish populations reported the highest levels of incidents.
In New York, 68% of incidents occurred in New York City; antisemitic incidents of vandalism increased by 14% and assaults by 52% over the year in the state.
In California, the greatest number of incidents were reported in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, according to the report.
Incidents targeting Jewish people in Los Angeles increased by 153% over the year; 91% of religiously motivated hate incidents targeted the Jewish community, according to a 2023 Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations Hate Incident report.
Under former President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom, “following three years of double-digit increases, reported hate crimes in Los Angeles County drastically increased 45% from 930 to 1,350, the largest number in the history of this report,” the commission states.
Antisemitic incidents drastically increased nationwide after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel after antisemitic incidents were already at a historic high in 2022, with an 87% increase occurring in the southwest U.S., The Center Square reported.
