New York Antisemitic Incidents Hit Record High in 2024, ADL Reports

By: Fern Sidman

New data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shows that antisemitic incidents in New York State surged to an all-time high in 2024. The ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents recorded 1,437 incidents across New York last year – an 18% jump over 2023’s previous record of 1,218 cases​

This tally, driven in part by a wave of hate following the Israel-Hamas war in late 2023, is the highest number ever recorded in a single state since the ADL began tracking incidents in 1979​.

New York once again led the nation in reported anti-Jewish hate, outpacing every other state in 2024. The alarming increase comes amid a nationwide rise in antisemitism – the United States saw 9,354 incidents last year, a 5% increase over 2023 and the fourth consecutive annual record nationally​.

 

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New York alone accounted for roughly 15% of all incidents in the country, underscoring the Empire State as a major hotspot of anti-Jewish bias.

1/ Antisemitic incidents occurred in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. in 2024. The states with the highest levels of incidents were New York (1,437) and California (1,344). These states’ largest cities — NYC (976) and LA (297) — also reported the most incidents. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/2PukCrUgZH

— ADL (@ADL) April 22, 2025

Year-Over-Year Surge and Multi-Year Trend

The 2024 figures continue a dramatic multi-year escalation of antisemitic incidents in New York. In 2022, the state had recorded 580 incidents, which at the time was a record high. But 2023 saw that number more than double to 1,218 (a 110% increase)​ and now 2024’s total of 1,437 marks another 18% rise​

2/ However, the geographic distribution shows antisemitism is not limited to areas with large Jewish populations. States like Colorado (279 incidents) & Virginia (266) all recorded significant totals despite having comparatively smaller Jewish communities. https://t.co/JVNdCJdCPy pic.twitter.com/cXqmhcACfq

— ADL (@ADL) April 22, 2025

This represents a 148% increase in cases over just two years​.

ADL officials note that the spike in late 2023 following Hamas’s October 7 terror attack in Israel carried into 2024, as anti-Israel sentiment frequently crossed over into blatant antisemitism. “ADL’s 2024 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents indicates that the shocking spike in antisemitic incidents after October 7, 2023, has become an unfortunate reality across the country and in New York,” said Scott Richman, the ADL’s New York/New Jersey regional director​.

“Antisemitism is a crisis – it’s a catastrophe – that has not gotten nearly enough attention from the very institutions where it’s happening,” @JGreenblattADL of the @ADL says on @InsidePolitics after the organization released its annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. pic.twitter.com/CSNZTclSZQ

— Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) April 22, 2025

He noted that the data “confirms what Jewish communities around New York have experienced, and we must all work together to reverse this unacceptable trend”​

The successive record-breaking years have elevated concerns among community leaders, who describe the situation as a “statewide and national emergency” for Jewish people​.

 

Harassment, Vandalism, and Assault Incidents

The ADL audit categorizes antisemitic incidents into harassment, vandalism, and assault. Harassment – which includes verbal or written hate speech, threats, and intimidation – was the most common form, accounting for 912 incidents in New York in 2024​.

There were also 443 acts of antisemitic vandalism, such as graffiti (often including swastikas) and property damage, and 82 anti-Jewish assaults involving physical harm​.

Harassment made up roughly 63% of all reported cases, vandalism about 31%, and assaults about 6%. Each category increased compared to the prior year. Notably, physical assaults skyrocketed – up from 54 assaults in 2023 to 82 in 2024, a more than 50% jump​. (In 2023, antisemitic assaults in New York had actually dipped by 25% even as other categories rose  but 2024 erased that decline.)

While assaults remain a smaller share of incidents, they are especially alarming: victims have been punched, hit with objects, or even pepper-sprayed simply for being Jewish​.

Many confrontations involved individuals who were identifiably Jewish (e.g. Orthodox Jews), according to the ADL, making them targets for hate-fueled violence​

Harassment and vandalism also continued to climb. The ADL noted that a significant portion of vandalism incidents feature Nazi symbolism. In 2023, 266 incidents statewide – about 22% of all cases – involved the display of a Nazi swastika, a number that rose from the year prior​.

Early reports indicate that 2024 saw at least as many, if not more, swastika-related incidents, reflecting the enduring use of this hate symbol to intimidate Jewish communities. Nationally, swastikas were present in roughly 37% of vandalism cases documented in 2024​.

ADL experts say such incidents range from graffiti defacing synagogues and Jewish cemeteries to hateful flyers and posters plastered in public areas. For example, one New York case in 2023 involved vandals spray-painting “Kill all Jews” alongside swastikas on homes​ – a chilling demonstration of the virulence of this hatred.

Incidents Concentrated in NYC and Suburbs

Geographically, antisemitic acts were heavily concentrated in New York City, though they spanned many parts of the state. Roughly 68% of all incidents occurred within the five boroughs of NYC​.

That equates to 976 incidents in the city alone in 2024 – by far the most of any city in America. New York City, home to the nation’s largest Jewish population, has consistently been a focal point for antisemitism. In 2023, for instance, NYC accounted for 63% of the state’s cases (767 out of 1,218)​ and nearly all of the state’s assaults (94% of them) took place in the city​.

This unprecedented level of antisemitism should never be normalized. Yet, as the data from the @ADL 2024 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents shows, this has become a persistent and grim reality for the American Jewish community.

Read about the findings here: https://t.co/jXwl7mVzYI pic.twitter.com/6WmaDUBG4u

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 22, 2025

Within the five boroughs, Manhattan saw the highest number of incidents in 2023 with 429 reported cases (a 120% increase from 2022)​ followed by Brooklyn’s 197 incidents​

Those boroughs – home to large Jewish communities and many Jewish institutions – continued to be major hotspots in 2024. ADL data indicate that many incidents in the city involved Orthodox or Hasidic Jews being harassed on the streets, commuters subjected to antisemitic slurs on the subway, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized with graffiti. For example, in one Bronx incident, a city bus driver menaced a Jewish child with an antisemitic slur, ordering him off the bus​.

Outside New York City, several suburban counties recorded significant numbers of incidents as well, reflecting that the rise in antisemitism is not confined to the five boroughs. Long Island in particular saw a spike: Nassau and Suffolk counties together had 178 antisemitic incidents in 2023, more than double the previous year​.

In 2024 those figures remained high, according to officials, amid numerous reports of swastika vandalism in parks and antisemitic propaganda drops in local neighborhoods. Westchester County (just north of NYC) and Rockland County (home to many Orthodox Jewish families) also experienced dozens of incidents. Westchester logged 59 incidents in 2023 (up 157% from 2022)​ and Rockland had 37 (up 61%)​ with both counties likely seeing further increases in 2024.

These incidents ranged from hate graffiti in schools and parks to verbal harassment of Jewish residents. Community leaders in the suburbs have voiced alarm that antisemitic hate, once thought more contained to the city or online spaces, is manifesting aggressively in their towns. While the downstate region (NYC, Long Island, Westchester/Rockland) saw the vast majority of cases, upstate and rural areas were not untouched. In total, ADL recorded incidents in 35 of New York’s 62 counties during 2024 (in 2023 it was 34 counties)​

That means nearly half of the counties – largely smaller or rural ones – had no reported antisemitic incidents last year. Experts caution that this does not necessarily indicate those areas were completely free of antisemitism, but rather that underreporting is likely a factor​.

Many incidents, especially non-violent harassment or school bullying in remote areas, may go unreported to the ADL or law enforcement. “The figures listed likely underrepresent the true scope of the problem,” the ADL noted, especially in K-12 schools where antisemitic bullying often isn’t officially reported​

Richman urged the public in all parts of New York to report incidents: “We can’t fight what we don’t know about,” he emphasized, noting that increased awareness in every community is crucial to tackling antisemitism.

Spike in Schools and on College Campuses

One of the most troubling trends in the 2024 audit is the explosion of antisemitism on college campuses. New York recorded 289 antisemitic incidents at colleges and universities last year, nearly triple the 110 campus incidents reported in 2023​.

That 163% increase on campuses was among the sharpest jumps in any setting. University campuses became flashpoints for anti-Jewish hostility, particularly after the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023. The ADL report noted that protests and demonstrations related to the Israel-Hamas war often crossed the line into antisemitic hate speech or symbolism​.

For example, some rallies featured chants and signs calling for the annihilation of Israel or glorifying the Hamas terrorist attacks – rhetoric the ADL classified as antisemitic when it demonized Zionism or celebrated violence against Jews​.

Students wearing Stars of David or Israeli flags were harassed, and several campuses saw anti-Israel graffiti that included swastikas or slurs. New York’s uptick mirrored a nationwide campus trend: across the U.S., antisemitic incidents on campus rose 84% in 2024​ as tensions over the Middle East conflict spilled into American colleges. Some of New York’s most prestigious schools were not immune. In fact, 23% (67) of the state’s campus incidents in 2024 occurred at Columbia University and its affiliate Barnard College in Manhattan. ​

These uptown campuses, which have been hubs of intense Israel-Palestine activism, saw numerous instances of Jewish students feeling targeted or unsafe – from swastikas scrawled on dorm bulletin boards to protesters shouting down Jewish speakers. Other colleges with sizable Jewish student bodies, such as New York University and Cornell, also reported increases in antisemitic vandalism and harassment, according to the ADL. New York State led the nation in campus-related antisemitic incidents last year, reflecting the convergence of global events and campus free expression crossing into hate. “Institutions of higher learning have been hubs for protests [over the war]… that used antisemitic language” the ADL report noted, highlighting the challenge universities face in curbing hate while allowing political speech​.

In K-12 schools, the picture is somewhat different – and complicated by reporting gaps. The ADL’s data for 2024 actually showed a decline in reported antisemitic incidents in public K-12 schools compared to 2023​.

This contrasts with the surge seen in other environments. However, officials are not optimistic that this reflects a true improvement. Rather, they believe underreporting in schools is masking the extent of the problem.

“Due to fear of being bullied, it is likely that many school children do not report antisemitic incidents,” the ADL noted in its findings​.

In other words, while only a certain number of anti-Jewish bullying cases or swastika graffiti in schools were formally tallied, many more may be occurring under the radar. In 2023, there were 173 antisemitic incidents reported in non-Jewish K-12 schools statewide (a steep increase from the year prior)​

Some of those involved disturbing episodes like swastikas drawn on Jewish students or Holocaust jokes and slurs circulating in classrooms. In 2024, with the Israel-Hamas war as a backdrop, anecdotal reports suggest schools saw a mix of heightened pro-Israel/pro-Palestinian tensions and, in some cases, Jewish students facing hostility. ADL leaders worry that youth may be facing antisemitic bullying that adults never hear about, and they are encouraging school officials to better monitor and report such incidents. The organization is working with some New York school districts on educational programs and improved incident reporting protocols as part of a broader effort to combat hate in schools.

ADL Response and Underreporting Concerns

The ADL’s New York/New Jersey office called the 2024 findings deeply disturbing and has urged a strong response from both government and civil society. “New York documented 1,437 antisemitic incidents last year, an 18% increase above the previous record… This data confirms what Jewish communities around New York have experienced,” Scott Richman said, emphasizing that the current level of antisemitism is “unacceptable”​

He implored New Yorkers of all backgrounds to stand in solidarity against Jew-hatred: “We must all work together to reverse this unacceptable trend”​

The ADL is advocating for enhanced education, improved hate crime enforcement, and public denunciation of antisemitism by leaders at every level. Officials also stress that the ADL audit, as comprehensive as it is, likely understates the true scope of antisemitic bias. The audit relies on reported incidents – those brought to ADL’s attention by victims, reported in the media, or recorded by law enforcement. Many incidents undoubtedly go unreported, whether due to fear, normalization of low-level hate, or skepticism that reporting will lead to action. The fact that incidents were logged in only 35 of 62 New York counties suggests that nearly half the state had zero incidents on record – something experts find improbable given that antisemitic attitudes exist everywhere​

The ADL explicitly cautioned that underreporting must be considered when interpreting the data​.

In particular, antisemitic bullying in schools and subtle harassment in workplaces or online may be flying under the radar. Richman encouraged anyone who experiences or witnesses an incident to report it, either to law enforcement or through ADL’s online reporting tool, noting that increased reporting can both help victims get support and improve the tracking of trends​.

Despite the grim statistics, there were some small hopeful notes. New York City authorities reported that antisemitic hate crimes in early 2025 (e.g. the month of March) held steady and did not continue rising, hinting that the post-Oct. 7 surge may be stabilizing​.

Several New York colleges also took steps to address campus antisemitism, such as the City University of New York creating an advisory council on Jewish life​.

But ADL leaders warn that complacency is not an option. With New York having the largest Jewish population outside Israel, the stakes are high. “This horrifying level of antisemitism should never be accepted,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, reacting to the nationwide record in 2024​.

Jewish New Yorkers continue to be harassed, assaulted and targeted for who they are on a daily basis – whether in schools, at colleges, in their neighborhoods, or online. The ADL’s latest report is a sobering reminder of this reality, and a call to action for New York’s government, institutions, and residents to redouble efforts in combating antisemitic hate in all its forms​.