1 in 4 American Jews say they experienced antisemitism in the last year
Nearly one out of every four Jews in the U.S. has been the subject of antisemitism over the past year, a number that advocates for the Jewish community say should trouble all Americans.
The data was published in a new report released Monday by the American Jewish Committee, which called for action to stop what the group characterized as a "severe problem" in the nation.
Seventeen percent of respondents in the committee's survey said they had been the subject of an antisemitic remark in person, while 12% said they were the victim of an antisemitic remark online. Three percent of Jews who responded to the poll said they were the target of an antisemitic physical attack.
"Now is the time for American society to stand up and say 'enough is enough.' American Jews see antisemitism on the far right and the far left, among extremists acting in the name of Islam, and elsewhere throughout America," the committee's CEO, David Harris, said in a statement.
The report also found that, out of fear of antisemitism, 39% of American Jews changed their behavior in the past 12 months, such as by avoiding posting online content or wearing items that would identify them as Jewish.
"Where is the outrage? Where is the recognition that antisemitism may begin with Jews but, ultimately, targets the fabric and fiber of any democratic society?" Harris added.
An outbreak in violence between Israel and Hamas in the spring saw an uptick in antisemitic hate crimes thousands of miles away in the U.S. The Anti-Defamation League said it received 193 reports of possible antisemitic violence in the week that the fighting began, a nearly 50% increase from the week prior. Hate crimes against Muslims also grew in the days after the violence in Gaza.
The report also highlights a stark divide between the number of Jews who believe antisemitism is a problem in the U.S. versus the rest of the population. Some 90% of American Jews think antisemitism is a problem in the country, while just 60% of the general population said the same. [Copyright 2021 NPR]
