Antisemitism: Jews target of 58% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in US

Antisemitic attacks in 2020 constitute 9% of all hate crimes in the US nationwide, down from 13% in 2019.

A protest against Antisemitism held on the Brooklyn Bridge  (photo credit: IRA L. BLACK/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES)
A protest against Antisemitism held on the Brooklyn Bridge
(photo credit: IRA L. BLACK/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Jews in America are the target of 58 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the US despite constituting a mere two percent of the population, newly released FBI statistics for 2020 have shown.

The data also showed that Jews constitute the third largest target of hate crimes out of all minorities in the entire country, more than, Hispanics, Muslims, Asians, and virtually all other groups. 

Only anti-black or African-American, anti-White, and anti-LGBT attacks were more numerous than anti-Jewish ones. 

In total, the FBI received information of 7,759 hate crimes committed in 2020, submitted by over 15,000 law enforcement agencies around the country. 

Of those, 4,939 attacks were motivated by race or ethnicity, 1,174 by religion and 1,051 by sexual orientation, with the remainder based on hatred for disability, gender, gender identity and multiple biases. 

MEGHAN MCCAIN speaks at Sunday’s rally against antisemitism, as Israeli actress Noa Tishby and Arizona State Rep. Alma Hernandez look on at the US Capitol in Washington. (credit: RON KAMPEAS)
MEGHAN MCCAIN speaks at Sunday’s rally against antisemitism, as Israeli actress Noa Tishby and Arizona State Rep. Alma Hernandez look on at the US Capitol in Washington. (credit: RON KAMPEAS)

Of the religiously motivated hate crimes, fully 676 were committed against Jews, some 58% of all such attacks and 9% of the total number of hate crimes committed across the US in 2020. 

Although still high, the 2020 numbers are marginally lower than those of 2019, when anti-Jewish attacks constituted 63% of all religiously motivated hate crimes and 13% of all hate crimes nationwide.