U.S. Antisemitic Incidents Fell 33 Percent in 2025 After Record High

Incidents related to Israel or Zionism made up 45 percent of the 2025 total, down from 58 percent in 2024. Anti-Israel rallies featuring extreme rhetoric that crossed into antisemitism fell 67 percent overall and 83 percent on campuses. The ADL said it is careful not to conflate general criticism of Israel with antisemitism but considers vilification of Zionism a form of antisemitism.

This approach has fueled debate among American Jews and others over the group's methodology. Some critics argue the criteria are too broad. An expert who formerly worked at the ADL said the group's stance stems from concern that anti-Zionism threatens Jewish safety, though others favor more nuanced definitions.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations responded to pressure on colleges by launching an Unhostile Campus Campaign to protect pro-Palestinian speech.

The ADL report comes as antisemitism concerns have grown in Britain and Australia. In Britain, authorities reported stabbings of two Jewish men in London along with arson attacks on synagogues. Senior police officials described it as the greatest threat British Jews have faced and blamed social media for amplifying antisemitism.

In Australia, a commission investigating a December massacre at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach that killed 15 heard testimony from Jews who said they feel fearful and vulnerable. A Tel Aviv University study found that 20 deaths from antisemitic attacks in Australia, Britain and the United States made 2025 the deadliest year since 1994.

The ADL has issued Campus Antisemitism Report Cards and pursued lawsuits and settlements to push universities to adopt its recommended policies. A senior ADL official welcomed the campus decline but cautioned that 2025 figures remained nearly four times higher than in 2021 and urged against complacency.

“We welcome any decrease in antisemitic incidents on college campuses or in other settings. It is indisputably a good thing, and we hope this is just the beginning of a downward trend.”