An extensive survey conducted among American Jewish communities over the past year has revealed the alarming rise of antisemitism in the Western world following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7. The data shows that approximately 3.5 million adult American Jews - representing about one-third of the Jewish population - and around 380,000 children have experienced some form of antisemitism since the attack.
The survey, led by Dr. Ira Sheskin of the University of Miami and commissioned by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), uncovered troubling trends: “Alarmingly, 3 in 4 Jews don’t report incidents to external entities outside their family. The impact of these experiences is profound, with 61% of American Jews reporting feeling less safe since October 7,” CAM said in a statement.
They also noted a slight positive outcome, with 49% of respondents reporting support from non-Jewish individuals due to their Jewish identity, an increase from 33% in earlier studies.
The in-depth survey, which sampled 1,075 respondents, paints a picture of heightened insecurity among American Jewry. It suggests that antisemitic incidents affecting local Jewish communities in the US have more than doubled since 2018.
A surprising additional finding revealed by the survey is the effect of rising antisemitism on the political decisions of US Jews. Around 43% of respondents indicated that the prevalence of antisemitism will influence how they vote in the upcoming elections.
* Israel Hayom contributed to this article.