Two-thirds of Jewish Americans feel less secure than before Oct. 7

Two-thirds of Jewish Americans feel less secure than before Oct. 7

By Kanishka Singh

About two-thirds of Jewish Americans felt less secure in late 2023 than they did a year earlier, according to a survey mostly conducted after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and released on Tuesday.

The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group, said the survey was based on telephone and online interviews from Oct. 5 to Nov. 21. The findings were compared to the same survey a year earlier.

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WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

Rights advocates have noted a rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias in the U.S. since Oct. 7 when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, sparking Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 28,000.

BY THE NUMBERS

About 63% of Jewish Americans said U.S. Jews were less secure than a year earlier. About 34% said security was the same as in 2022 and 3% felt U.S. Jews were more secure. The survey had 1,528 participants, Jews aged 18 or older, the group said.

KEY QUOTE

"If before October 7 antisemitism was a slow-burning fire, it has now become a five-alarm emergency that requires all of us to douse its flames," Ted Deutch, chief executive of the group, said.

CONTEXT

The U.S. government recently issued security guidance for faith-based communities.

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