AJC Warns: Staggering FBI Hate Crimes Data Likely Represents Under-Reporting of Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes

Today, following the release of the FBI’s 2023 Hate Crime Statistics Report, American Jewish Committee (AJC) is once again raising the alarm about the staggering number of hate crimes committed against the American Jewish community and the urgent need to improve hate crimes reporting across the country. 

With the FBI reporting that hate crimes against Jews increased a staggering 63% year over year, from 1,124 in 2022 to 1,832 in 2023, AJC recognizes that the actual numbers of incidents is likely greater, as hate crimes are widely underreported across the country. Despite Jews only accounting for 2% of the U.S. population, the community was the target of 68% of religiously motivated hate crimes committed in 2023. 

“As the Jewish community is still reeling from Hamas’ brutal attack against Israelis on October 7, we are simultaneously contending with an earth-shattering increase in antisemitic violence,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “The 1,832 reported antisemitic crimes - a staggering 63% increase from last year - has taken a severe toll on so many American Jews’ way of life. The worst part of this new reality is that young Jews are increasingly on the receiving end of this rise in antisemitic hate, according to AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report. It’s unacceptable that in America of all places there are nearly five antisemitic hate crimes on average per day.”

Because many major cities continue to not report hate crimes, the true state of antisemitism in the U.S. is likely much worse than the record number of antisemitic hate crimes in the FBI’s data. The difficulties faced by local, state, and national law enforcement agencies in accurately documenting and reporting this information deprives communities and elected officials the opportunity to truly understand the degree to which hate-based violence permeates American society.

AJC is currently urging passage of bipartisan legislation from Representatives Don Bacon (R-NE) and Don Beyer (D-VA). H.R.7648, the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act (IRPHA), which would require law enforcement agencies representing large cities (populations of 100,000 or more) to report credible hate crimes data to the FBI; improve community relations functions to prevent hate crimes; and improve the public’s awareness regarding hate crimes. According to American Jewish Committee’s (AJC’s) State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report,  more than nine in 10 Americans say it is important that law enforcement be required to report hate crimes to a federal government database. 

AJC also supports policies and measures outlined in the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism to enhance hate crime reporting, strengthen community outreach, and protect vulnerable people. This includes fully funding critical Department of Justice grant programs including the Khalid Jabara-Heather Heyer NO HATE Act, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Program, and Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes. AJC, along with coalition partners, was instrumental in the passage of the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, which received widespread bipartisan support in Congress and was signed into law by President Biden in 2021. 

The FBI data released today parallels the findings of American Jewish Committee’s (AJC’s) State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report, which found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Jews said the status of Jews in America is less secure than a year ago, up from 41% in 2022. The report also found that 46% of American Jews said they altered their behavior out of fear of antisemitism. Even before the widespread campus encampments and protests in the spring, 24% of current or recent college students said they felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a campus event because they are Jewish and one in four said they have avoided wearing, carrying, or displaying things that would identify them as Jewish out of fear of antisemitism. Additionally, only 21% of American Jews who personally experienced antisemitism reported it anywhere — to the police, a Jewish organization, a social media platform, a workplace, or elsewhere. Because it is impossible to adequately address hate crimes when we do not understand their extent, AJC created guidance for Americans on Reporting Antisemitism to Federal Agencies, Law Enforcement, and Social Media companies to help mitigate underreporting.

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org