Jews were once again the most targeted religious group in America in 2024, according to newly released FBI data that paints a grim picture of surging antisemitism across the country.

The FBI’s 2024 Hate Crime Report, published Tuesday, documented 1,938 anti-Jewish hate crime incidents affecting 2,237 victims — a staggering 69% of all religion-based hate crimes recorded nationwide. The number marks a 2% increase from 2023, when Jews were the victims in 1,832 incidents, or 67% of the total.

The breakdown is chilling: 67 cases of aggravated assault, 111 simple assaults, 672 incidents of intimidation, 1,130 acts of property destruction or damage, eight arsons, and a dozen other crimes categorized as offenses against society. In most cases, the perpetrators were white.

By comparison, anti-Muslim hate crimes — the second highest among religiously motivated offenses — totaled just 228. Other religious groups barely registered in the data, underscoring the uniquely targeted nature of antisemitism in the United States.

The numbers go beyond religious hate. Anti-Jewish crimes were the second most common hate crime motivation across all categories, trailing only anti-Black hate crimes, which accounted for 26% of total hate crime incidents. Anti-Jewish hate crimes made up 18% of the total.

Geographically, California topped the list for total hate crimes, followed by New Jersey and New York.

The data comes amid growing concern that antisemitism is no longer confined to the fringes, but is seeping into mainstream discourse, university campuses, and city streets with increasing brazenness. Law enforcement and Jewish advocacy groups have warned for months that the climate for Jews in America is deteriorating, and the FBI’s report adds weight to those warnings.

Despite heightened public awareness, the trend remains persistent: American Jews, who make up just 2% of the population, are the targets in nearly seven out of ten religiously motivated hate crimes.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)