WASHINGTON — More than six in 10 American Jews say they feel their community is less secure than a year ago — a whopping 53% increase — following Hamas’ attack on Israel, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The American Jewish Committee’s annual Survey of Antisemitism in America, taken at the end of 2023, found 63% of Jewish Americans saying the status of Jews in the U.S. was less secure than in 2022, with just 3% saying it was more secure and 46% saying there was no change. In 2022, 41% said they felt the community was less secure than the year before.
Most of the survey was conducted after Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., broke an existing ceasefire on Oct. 7, 2023, attacked Israel, killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. More than one-fourth of Jews — 28% — said they felt less secure because of the Hamas attacks while 18% blamed the rise in antisemitism, much of which followed Israel’s response in Gaza.
“We see the crisis,” said Marcia Bronstein, AJC regional director. “We see what it means for our community. It’s disturbing. It's horrible to see what our community is facing in the wake of Oct. 7.”
From Oct. 7 to Jan. 7, there were 3,291 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., a 361% increase over 712 during the same period a year earlier, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
In the American Jewish Committee survey, 46% of American Jews surveyed said they avoided at least one behavior, such as not wearing a Jewish star or taking time off from work for a Jewish holiday. That’s up from 38% in 2022.
And 44% of American Jews with connections to college campuses, either because they are a current or recent student or a parent of a student, said they felt excluded or uncomfortable because of their religion, including not wearing clothing or jewelry that identified them as Jews or discussing Israel
“American Jews are changing their behavior,” Ms. Bronstein said, ‘whether they're choosing not to do things that identify them as Jewish or not going to certain places or not wearing T-shirts or stars or anything that would identify them. In the workplace, people are being more cautious. People are thinking twice, ‘Whether i should take off for a Jewish holiday.’”
If there was any good news in the report, Ms. Bronstein said, it was that concerns about antisemitism were not restricted to the American Jewish community.
Almost three of four U.S. adults — 74% — said antisemitism was a serious problem, up from 68% in 2022.
“Hatred is not going away,” Ms. Bronstein said. “It’s not only a Jewish problem, it’s a problem for all of society and a problem for our democracy.”
Antisemitism has been on the rise for years in the U.S., and the worst antisemitic attack in American history took place in Pittsburgh in October 2018 slightly more than five years ago at the Squirrel Hill synagogue that housed three congregations — Dor Hadash, New Life, and Tree of Life.
Ms. Bronstein said that the findings of the AJC survey quantified how serious the problem is.
“We knew it was growing,” Ms. Bronstein said. “Somehow, when you look at numbers, it hits you in the face. It’s something you can't ignore. It shows the crisis we are facing. We need to do something about it. We need to do something about it now.”
She said the report adds to the urgency to follow the recommendations of President Joe Biden’s national strategy to combat antisemitism. In the survey, 57% of American Jews approved of how Mr. Biden was responding to antisemitism, while 27% disapproved.
“The fact that the White House has a plan for dealing with antisemitism, that's unheard of,” she said. “It’s a road map but we have to make sure we use it. You can have really good plans but if you’re not paying attention to have it coordinated and implemented, it’s just a book on the shelf.”
The survey of 1,528 American Jews was conducted Oct. 5-Nov. 21 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. The U.S. study of 1,223 adults was conducted Oct. 17-24 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Jonathan D. Salant: jsalant@post-gazette.com, @JDSalant
First Published: February 13, 2024, 6:42 p.m.
Updated: February 14, 2024, 12:28 a.m.
