Physical assaults against Jewish people in the United States reached a record high in 2025, according to the Anti-Defamation League's annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents released Wednesday. The organization recorded 203 such assaults, a 4% increase from 196 the previous year and the most since it began tracking in 1979.

The surge in violence came despite a 33% decline in overall antisemitic incidents, which totaled 6,274 last year compared to 9,354 in 2024. That figure marked the third-highest annual total since 1979, averaging 17 incidents per day. Assaults with deadly weapons rose 39% to 32, including shootings, stabbings, firebombings, and arson. At least 300 people were victimized in these attacks.

For the first time since 2019, antisemitic violence resulted in Jewish fatalities on U.S. soil. Three people were killed: two in a May 21 shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., and one from injuries sustained in a June 1 firebombing at a 'Run for Their Lives' event in Boulder, Colorado. Orthodox Jews were targeted in 38% of violent assaults nationwide and 60% in New York.

New York led with 1,160 incidents, including 860 in New York City and over 50 assaults in Brooklyn alone. California followed with 817, and New Jersey with 687. Incidents occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The overall drop was driven by fewer campus incidents, which fell 66% to 583 from 1,694 in 2024, and a 50% decline in white supremacist propaganda. Harassment decreased 39% to 4,003 cases, and vandalism fell 21% to 2,068. Israel-related incidents accounted for 45% of the total, or 2,847, down from 58% the prior year.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt described 2025 as 'one of the most violent years for American Jews on record.' He added, 'People are being murdered because of antisemitism on American soil, and thousands more are threatened.' Oren Segal, ADL's senior vice president, emphasized, 'Even as overall incidents declined, the surge in physical assaults is a stark reminder that a historically high level of antisemitism puts Jewish lives at risk.'

The audit continues a trend of elevated antisemitism following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, though protest-related incidents dropped sharply. K-12 school incidents remained stable at 825.