2025 Was "Most Violent Year" for US Jews

Violent antisemitic attacks in the United States increased in 2025 even as the overall number of antisemitic incidents declined, according to new data from the Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL documented 6,274 antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2025, including assault, harassment and vandalism. That marked a decrease from 9,354 incidents in 2024, but the organization said the drop was driven largely by a decline in harassment rather than a reduction in violence.

Assaults rose 4%, from 196 incidents in 2024 to 203 in 2025. Assaults involving a deadly weapon increased 39%, from 23 to 32 incidents. At least 300 people were physically assaulted in antisemitic attacks, and three people were killed, marking the first antisemitic fatalities recorded by the ADL since 2019.

ADL Los Angeles Senior Regional Director David Englin said the overall decline should not be seen as reassuring.

“There is an overall decrease in incidents, and that’s because incidents of harassment have gone down,” Englin said. “But unfortunately, it’s not a good news story because the real issue is that violent incidents have gone up.”

Antisemitic incidents were reported in all 50 states and Washington, DC. New York recorded the highest number, followed by California and New Jersey. California ranked second nationwide, with 817 incidents.

Los Angeles remained a major focus. The region recorded 419 antisemitic incidents in 2025, down from 532 the previous year, but assaults rose 22%, from 18 to 22. According to the ADL, that was the highest number of antisemitic assaults ever recorded in the Los Angeles area.

Over the past five years, antisemitic incidents in Los Angeles have increased 130%. Englin said that meant that “basically, every other week, somebody in the Los Angeles area was violently attacked from being Jewish.”

The ADL said California’s large Jewish population is one reason the state consistently ranks near the top for reported incidents. California has an estimated 1.2 million to 1.25 million Jewish residents, second only to New York, with more than half living in Southern California.

The ADL audit includes both criminal and non-criminal incidents, including harassment, school bullying and antisemitic graffiti. Englin said the organization investigates and verifies reports before classifying them as antisemitic, and does not count anti-Israel protest activity as antisemitic unless it includes explicit anti-Jewish conduct.

The organization said the rise in assaults, particularly in Los Angeles, points to a worsening threat for American Jews despite the overall decline in reported incidents.