Nearly half of Jews around the world have experienced antisemitism since October 7, a new survey revealed.
The data, analyzed by Dr. Ira Sheskin, professor of Geography and Director of the Jewish Demography Project at the University of Miami in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement, was collected from 1,075 Jewish individuals from August 12 until September 3.
Some 7% of respondents reported that they had been physically assaulted or threatened in an antisemitic attack since October 7, marking a 2% increase based on data collected by the Pew Research Center in 2020.
In another 2% markup from the Pew 2020 study, Sheskin’s study found that 39% of Jews had seen antisemitic graffiti in their neighborhoods.
Additionally, 39% of respondents reported hearing colleagues or neighbors make jokes or use slurs targeting Jews.
Displaying a 7% increase from the Pew 2020 study, 26% of Jewish respondents said that since October 7, they had been made to feel unwelcome over their Jewish identity. A further 14% reported that they had been snubbed in a social setting because they were Jewish.
Additionally, marking a 6% increase from the 2020 findings, 21% reported having been called by an offensive name because they are Jewish.
The online targeting of Jews has also seemingly increased with twice as many respondents now stating that they had been harassed online over their identity (8% in 2020; 16% in 2024).
Of the 61% of respondents who had affirmed they experienced at least one of the above situations, 72% reported feeling less safe as a Jew today. However, despite the trends identified in the study, support from non-Jewish individuals has also reportedly increased. Nearly half (49%) of respondents said that they had seen a non-Jewish person express support for them - a notable increase from the 33% recorded by Pew in 2020.
Antisemitic tropes
Over a quarter (28%) of respondents reported having directly heard comments, since October 7, suggesting Jews care too much about money, with a further 42% stating that they had heard or read the comments from a second-hand source.
Some 25% reported having heard, directly, comments suggesting Jews control the world (or the media, or the entertainment industry, or politics, etc.), while 49% said they heard or read the comments from a secondary source.
A total of 68% had heard or read some form of Holocaust revisionism - with 13% stating that they had heard the comments directly from the source.
Where do Jews turn to?
One in five of the respondents reported being victim to an antisemitic remark in person, half of which had received multiple comments. Asked who they reported the comments to, only 10% said they contacted the police and 11% to Jewish organizations.
Most Jewish respondents (42%) told friends and or family about the comments, while few reported the comments to their school (5%), their boss or HR (8%) or social media (12%).
Only 64% reported telling anyone about the incident(s).
When it came to antisemitic vandalism or flyers, which only 9% of the total number of respondents said they experienced, 37% said they did not report the incidents to anyone.
In incidents of vandalism or messaging, individuals were more likely to involve law enforcement - with 21% of those having experienced vandalism or messaging self-reportedly having contacted local police.
While vandalism and messaging saw more respondents raise the issue with police, family and friends were still the most turned to (37%). However, respondents were more willing in these incidents to report to their bosses or HR departments (14%), a Jewish organization (12%) or their school (9%).
Of the 5% of respondents who said an attacker had physically touched them during an antisemitic assault, 21% said they had reported the incident to the police and 28% to a Jewish organization.
While respondents who had been assaulted were more likely to turn to law enforcement or Jewish organizations, the most popular option remained friends and family (29%), however they more frequently reported it to their school (19%) and boss/HR (13%).
Hiding Judaism
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of the respondents reported feeling less safe since October 7. Asked if these feelings of insecurity impacted their willingness to participate in Jewish observances or events, 20% said they did not participate over safety concerns. Additionally, 21% of respondents said that while they did participate in Jewish events or observances, they hesitated before doing so.
Asked about the effectiveness of law enforcement in tackling the security needs of Jews, 31% of respondents said that police had either been somewhat or very ineffective in their responses, while 46% stated the opposite belief.
Antisemitism on campus
College campuses have been a hotbed of anti-Israel activism since October 7, with many universities seeing the establishments of pro-Palestinian encampments. Multiple campuses across the US have heard calls for a globalized intifada or seen Jewish students and staff attacked for their identities.
Much in line with headlines made over the past year regarding campus activities, 31% of college-affiliated respondents reported that they had felt excluded from a group or an event on campus because of their Judaism - 19% reporting that it had happened multiple times.
An additional 39% of college-affiliated persons reported being made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable at a campus event because they are Jewish.
The enacting of antisemitism on campus is not limited to students, the research found. More than a quarter (26%) reported that a faculty member, teaching assistant, or instructor had discriminated against them or made them feel uncomfortable because they are Jewish - 15% claimed that it had happened more than once.
Asked if they had ever avoided displaying items that would identify them as Jewish due to fears of antisemitism, 35% confirmed they had, with 26% admitting to doing it more than once. Additionally, 35% said they had not disclosed their opinions on Israel on campus or with classmates because of fears of antisemitism.
A quarter of the college-affiliated respondents also said they had felt or been excluded from a group or an event on campus over a perceived or actual connection to Israel.
Behind the antisemitism
Of the 42% of respondents who said they experienced antisemitism after October 7, 17% said the most serious incidents had come from pro-Palestinian groups or individuals. Following this, 6% said that the antisemitism had come from the extreme Left, 5% from the extreme Right, 5% from neo-Nazis and 3% from radical Islamists.