The rise in antisemitism since late 2023 has pushed incident counts to the highest levels on record in multiple countries and produced the deadliest year of anti-Jewish violence in more than three decades, with 20 Jews murdered in four separate attacks across three countries in 2025 alone. The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 acted as an accelerant, and governments on both sides of the Atlantic have responded with executive orders, Title VI enforcement, settlements, and new legislation — some of it already being challenged in court.
How Bad the Numbers Have Gotten
The Anti-Defamation League’s 2025 audit recorded 6,274 antisemitic incidents in the United States. That is a 33 percent decrease from the record 9,354 logged in 2024, but still the third-highest annual total since the ADL began tracking in 1979, and five times the level of a decade earlier.1ADL. Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2025 The daily rate works out to 17 incidents a day, more than double what it was between 2020 and 2022.2ADL. ADL Records Historic High Antisemitic Assaults and Attacks With Deadly Weapons
FBI figures line up with that trajectory. The bureau’s 2024 hate crime report, released in August 2025, counted 1,938 anti-Jewish hate crime incidents — a record for the category and the second-highest level of any bias type ever recorded. Anti-Jewish incidents were the most frequent religious bias hate crime, far exceeding anti-Muslim (228) and anti-Sikh (142) incidents. Even these numbers almost certainly undercount reality. Agencies covering 95 percent of the U.S. population participated, but 57 agencies serving populations over 100,000 reported zero hate crimes, and community distrust of police suppresses reporting further.3AAI. 2024 Hate Crime Data
The picture abroad is similar or worse. The Tel Aviv University/Kantor Center report found that even where totals dipped from 2024, they stayed “dozens of percentage points higher than in 2022.”4Tel Aviv University. Antisemitism Worldwide Report 2026 Canada recorded 6,800 incidents — about 2.5 times the pre-October 7 level.5B’nai Brith Canada. Special Report: A National Crisis of Antisemitism The United Kingdom recorded 3,700.6CST. Antisemitic Incidents Report 2025 Germany documented a record 8,725 incidents — roughly 24 a day, more than triple the 2022 figure.7The Jerusalem Post. Germany Records Highest Antisemitic Incidents Since Records Began France saw total incidents fall from 1,570 to 1,320, but physical assaults rose, from 106 to 126.8CNN. Antisemitic Violence Worldwide Report The Kantor Center concluded that high levels of antisemitism have become “a normalized feature in societies with large Jewish minorities.”
October 7 is the inflection point. In the three months after the attack, antisemitic incidents jumped 1,000 percent in France compared with the prior three years combined, 818 percent in the Netherlands against the previous three-year monthly average, 738 percent in Australia, and roughly sixfold in the UK.9ADL. Top 5 Global Antisemitic Trends: October 7 One-Year Impact Report In the United States, 45 percent of 2025 incidents were related to Israel or Zionism — down from 58 percent in 2024, but far above the pre-October 7 figure of roughly 10 percent.1ADL. Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2025
The Deadly Attacks of 2025
What sets this period apart is lethality. Three people were killed in antisemitic attacks in the United States in 2025, the first fatalities from such attacks since 2019. Assaults involving a deadly weapon rose 39 percent, from 23 in 2024 to 32.2ADL. ADL Records Historic High Antisemitic Assaults and Attacks With Deadly Weapons Globally, 20 Jews were murdered in four separate antisemitic attacks across three countries in 2025, the highest single-year death toll from such violence in more than thirty years.
Washington, D.C.
On May 21, 2025, Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago shot and killed two Israeli embassy employees — Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26 — as they left a networking event at the Capital Jewish Museum. Rodriguez had traveled from Chicago with a handgun, bought a ticket after researching the event, and fired 20 shots at a group of attendees. He entered the museum afterward shouting “Free Palestine.”10BBC. Capital Jewish Museum Shooting Prosecutors said he had expressed support for violence against Israelis on social media and written a document claiming Israel was attempting to exterminate Palestinians.11ABC News. Elias Rodriguez Faces Hate Crime Charges He was indicted on nine federal counts, including hate crimes and murder of foreign officials, and has pleaded not guilty. The Justice Department has indicated it may seek the death penalty.12NBC Washington. One Year Since Deadly Shooting at Capital Jewish Museum
Boulder, Colorado
On June 1, 2025, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national who had researched explosives for a year, attacked a “Run For Their Lives” rally in Boulder supporting the release of hostages held by Hamas. He threw Molotov cocktails at the crowd while shouting “Free Palestine,” and police recovered 14 additional unlit devices. At least 12 people were injured. Karen Diamond, 82, later died from her wounds.13BBC. Boulder Rally Firebombing Soliman told police he wanted to “kill all Zionist people.” On May 7, 2026, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in state court and was sentenced to life without parole.14Haaretz. Egyptian Man Sentenced to Life for Colorado Firebombing Attack He also faces 12 federal hate crime charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.15Times of Israel. Elderly Woman Hurt in Colorado Attack Dies of Wounds
Manchester, UK
On October 2, 2025 — Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year — Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a car into worshippers at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, then got out and stabbed congregants while wearing a fake explosive device. He had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 999 call. Armed police killed him seven minutes after the first emergency call.16BBC. Heaton Park Synagogue Attack Melvin Cravitz, 66, died from his stab wounds. Adrian Daulby, 53, was killed by a deflected police bullet during the response.17Hansard. Manchester Terrorism Attack Debate It was the first fatal antisemitic terror attack in the UK recorded by the Community Security Trust since 1984.6CST. Antisemitic Incidents Report 2025 The UK government deployed enhanced patrols at synagogues, reviewed security support for more than 500 locations, and proposed amendments to the Public Order Act giving police broader powers over repeated protests near sensitive sites.
Sydney, Australia
The deadliest single antisemitic attack in decades took place on December 14, 2025, at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. Two gunmen — Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24 — opened fire on the crowd, killing 15 people and hospitalizing 42. Victims ranged in age from 10 to 87, among them Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman, and French citizen Dan Elkayam. Police found two Islamic State flags in the attackers’ car. Officers killed the elder Akram at the scene. Naveed Akram, previously investigated for ties to an IS cell, was taken into custody.18BBC. Bondi Beach Shooting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it an “act of antisemitism and terrorism” and pledged to tighten national gun laws. It was Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.19NPR. Sydney Bondi Beach Hanukkah Shooting
A separate April 2025 arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence during Passover brought charges including attempted murder, terrorism, and aggravated arson against Cody Balmer, 38. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asked the attorney general to investigate it as a potential antisemitic hate crime, citing the timing and the governor’s Jewish faith.20ABC News. Schumer Calls for Investigation of Attack on Shapiros Residence
What Jewish Communities Are Experiencing
The American Jewish Committee’s State of Antisemitism in America 2025 report, based on fall 2025 surveys by SSRS, found that 91 percent of American Jews felt less safe over the past year because of violent antisemitic attacks, and 78 percent tied that feeling specifically to October 7 and the war that followed.21AJC. State of Antisemitism in America 2025
More than half — 55 percent — said they had changed their behavior out of fear: 41 percent avoided publicly identifying as Jewish, 39 percent avoided posting content online that could reveal their identity, and 30 percent steered clear of certain places or events.22AJC. State of Antisemitism in America 2025 – Insights and Analysis AJC CEO Ted Deutch said: “No one in America should have to change their behavior because of what they believe, but that’s how most Jews are living their lives.”21AJC. State of Antisemitism in America 2025
Nearly a third of American Jews (31 percent) reported being personally targeted by antisemitism in 2025. Among young Jews, that figure was 47 percent. On campuses, 42 percent of Jewish students reported experiencing antisemitism, and a quarter said they had been excluded from a group or event for being Jewish.21AJC. State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Seventy-seven percent of those who experienced antisemitism did not report it.22AJC. State of Antisemitism in America 2025 – Insights and Analysis In Europe, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights found that 96 percent of Jewish respondents reported at least one experience of antisemitism within a 12-month period, with most incidents never reported — producing what the agency calls “relative impunity” for perpetrators.23FRA. Antisemitism Overview
Online Hate and AI-Generated Content
The ADL reported online antisemitism rose by up to 500 percent in the period immediately after October 7, 2023.24American Bar Association. How Social Media Stokes Antisemitism By 2025, 73 percent of American Jews said they had experienced antisemitism online: 54 percent on Facebook, 40 percent on Instagram, 38 percent on YouTube, 37 percent on X, and 23 percent on TikTok.25AJC. State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Social Media Report
Platform moderation has lagged. The ADL found that TikTok’s moderation left loopholes that kept antisemitic hashtags accessible even after search blocks, and that X continued to host antisemitic content including incitements to violence after trusted-reporter flags.26ADL. Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience 2024 Among American Jews who encounter antisemitism online, 65 percent don’t report it. The top reason given: “I didn’t think anything would be done.”25AJC. State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Social Media Report
Generative AI has added a new layer. A May 2026 report by the monitoring group CyberWell verified 307 AI-generated antisemitic posts between January 2025 and February 2026, with 98 percent appearing from June 2025 onward. Content glorifying, justifying, or calling for violence against Jews made up a third of the dataset, more than twice the rate found in user-generated antisemitic content. An AI-generated song, “Boom, Boom, Tel Aviv,” circulated widely during the June 2025 conflict between Israel and Iran, with lyrics targeting Jews explicitly. Users also leveraged AI video tools to mock victims of real antisemitic attacks.27CyberWell. AI-Generated Antisemitism
Campus Enforcement and Title VI
U.S. college campuses became a flashpoint after October 7. The ADL recorded 583 antisemitic incidents on campuses in 2025, down 66 percent from 1,694 in 2024, largely because the protest encampment movement had subsided. The 2025 figure is still nearly three times the 2021 level.1ADL. Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2025
Federal enforcement intensified under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin and has been interpreted since 2004 to include groups defined by “shared ancestry,” such as Jewish, Muslim, and Arab students. By March 2025, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights had active investigations or monitoring involving at least 60 universities over antisemitic discrimination allegations.28Columbia Law Review. Campus Crises and the Limits of Title VI The second Trump administration established a multiagency Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism involving the Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services.29AAUP. Title VI, Discrimination, and Academic Freedom
The signature case was Columbia University’s July 2025 settlement with the administration. Columbia agreed to pay $200 million to the federal government over three years and $21 million to resolve EEOC claims of workplace harassment based on religion. In return, the government restored access to roughly $1.3 billion in previously frozen federal research grants. The deal required Columbia to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in its antidiscrimination policies, hire new faculty in Jewish and Israel studies, create a liaison for Jewish students, enforce strict rules against disruptive protests, and accept oversight by an independent monitor.30NPR. Columbia Trump Administration Settlement Details Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it an “excellent template for other universities.” The University of Pennsylvania and Brown University reached their own agreements.29AAUP. Title VI, Discrimination, and Academic Freedom
The approach drew sharp criticism. Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, called the Columbia settlement “a devastating blow to academic freedom and freedom of speech.”30NPR. Columbia Trump Administration Settlement Details In an AAUP lawsuit filed with its Harvard chapter, a federal judge issued a permanent injunction against the withholding of funds from Harvard, ruling the government’s actions were “much more about promoting a governmental orthodoxy… than about anything else.”29AAUP. Title VI, Discrimination, and Academic Freedom
Executive Orders, Legislation, and the IHRA Definition
Federal action has spanned two administrations. In May 2023, the Biden administration released the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which embraced the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and set out a four-pillar approach covering awareness, safety, reversing normalization, and cross-community solidarity.31The White House (Biden). U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism
President Trump signed Executive Order 14188 on January 29, 2025, titled “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.” The order reaffirmed his 2019 Executive Order 13899, which directs federal agencies to use the IHRA definition when evaluating discriminatory intent under Title VI. The new order required agency heads to submit inventories of pending antisemitism-related complaints and court cases within 60 days, directed the attorney general to consider criminal enforcement tools, and instructed immigration agencies to develop recommendations for monitoring foreign students and staff whose activities might warrant investigation or removal.32Federal Register. Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism
In Congress, the Antisemitism Awareness Act was reintroduced as S.558 in the 119th Congress,33Congress.gov. S.558 – Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025 and the Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act (H.R. 6806) was also introduced.34Congress.gov. H.R. 6806 – Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act of 2025 At the state level, at least 38 states have adopted the IHRA working definition, with Wisconsin among the most recent in March 2026.35Spectrum News 1. Israel, Antisemitism, Discrimination Civil liberties groups including the ACLU have challenged the use of the IHRA definition in legislation, arguing that some of its illustrative examples — such as calling the existence of Israel “a racist endeavor” or drawing comparisons between Israeli policy and Nazism — reach constitutionally protected political speech.36ACLU-PA. SB 127: Adopting IHRA Definition of Antisemitism in PA Holocaust Education Requirements
The European Union combats antisemitism through its 2021–2030 strategy and legal instruments including the Framework Decision on hate speech and the Digital Services Act, which regulates how platforms must handle illegal content.23FRA. Antisemitism Overview
Who Is Driving It
One defining feature of the current wave is that antisemitism is no longer confined to a single ideological corner. A meta-data analysis of indictments and court rulings from 2020 through 2025 conducted for the Tel Aviv University/Kantor Center report found that perpetrators tend to be “lone wolves” from diverse political and social backgrounds, ranging from “white Christians devoted to ‘white supremacy'” to “anti-Zionist Muslims.”4Tel Aviv University. Antisemitism Worldwide Report 2026 In Germany, Israel-related antisemitism accounted for 68 percent of all incidents, while a record 807 incidents were attributed to the far right.37RIAS. Antisemitic Incidents in Germany 2025 In the UK, where offenders’ ethnic appearance was reported, 52 percent were described as white Northern European, 25 percent as Arab or North African, 11 percent as South Asian, and 9 percent as Black.6CST. Antisemitic Incidents Report 2025
The Kantor Center identified the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric in American political discourse as one of the “most worrying phenomena” of 2025.38Tel Aviv University. Antisemitism Worldwide Report 2025 In Canada, the lead author of B’nai Brith’s annual audit said antisemitism has become “ubiquitous” and normalized throughout Canadian society, with “anti-Zionist” rhetoric often rebranding classic antisemitic tropes.39The Jerusalem Post. B’nai Brith Canada Annual Audit 2025 Germany’s federal commissioner for Jewish life, Felix Klein, warned that antisemitism “continues to rise without any sign of slowing down” and threatens “our democracy, our freedom, and the moral core of our republic.”40Times of Israel. Antisemitism Reached Record Levels in Modern Germany in 2025
A National Institute of Justice-funded study of nearly 3,000 U.S. antisemitic incidents between 2015 and 2021 had already found that escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine predicted antisemitic violence, alongside local political and economic conditions.41NIJ. Explaining the Rise of Antisemitism in the United States The pattern since October 7 has borne that out, and the legal and political response — vigorous but contested — continues to take shape around it.