‘Very unlikely’ anti-Jewish hate crimes will return to pre-Oct. 7 levels anytime soon, expert says

Ayal Feinberg, an associate professor at Gratz College, stated that antisemitic hate crimes in the U.S. are "very unlikely" to return to pre-October 7 levels soon, despite a decline from 1,938 incidents in 2024 to 1,528 in 2025, according to FBI data. He noted that 2025 still recorded the third-highest number of antisemitic hate crimes ever, with the overall trend mirroring post-9/11 anti-Muslim hate crimes: a spike, a small decline, and then a plateau, indicating that "antisemitism is becoming more normalized in this country."

• In 2025, anti-Jewish incidents outnumbered hate crimes against all other religions combined, with over half involving "destruction, damage or vandalism," which Feinberg attributes to antisemitism often targeting "Jewish visibility as much as it does individual Jews."
• California data shows an even higher proportional rate of religion-based hate crimes targeting Jews (nearly 75%) compared to the national average (64%).
• Feinberg also highlighted that Jews are increasingly altering their behavior, such as hiding their Jewish identity or hesitating to attend Jewish events, in response to rising antisemitism.
• He advocated for increased national funding for evidence-based education and research to effectively combat antisemitism, stating, "We need exponential growth and commitment to meaningful, rigorous education on what actually reduces antisemitism."