A majority of Jewish adults in the United States say they feel less safe than they did before Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, according to a new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The survey found that approximately six in ten Jewish adults feel less safe today than they did before the attack. Among those who identify as religiously Jewish, that figure rises to about seven in ten.

Nearly one-third of respondents said they or someone in their household experienced antisemitic harassment or attacks over the past year because they were Jewish. The incidents included physical assaults, verbal abuse, online harassment, threats, and property damage.

About one in ten said they or someone in their household had been physically assaulted because of their Jewish identity, while a similar percentage reported property being damaged or destroyed. Roughly two in ten reported verbal harassment or slurs, and a similar share experienced online harassment or cyberbullying.

The poll also found that many American Jews have become more reluctant to openly display their Jewish identity. About four in ten said they are now less likely to wear or carry items that identify them as Jewish, such as a yarmulke, Magen David, or other Jewish symbols.

When asked about their sense of security, about one-third said they feel safe as Jews in the United States, while another one-third said they feel unsafe. The remaining respondents said they feel neither safe nor unsafe.

The survey also highlighted divisions within the American Jewish community over the definition of antisemitism. About half of respondents said anti-Israel protests are not inherently antisemitic, while roughly four in ten believe such protests do constitute antisemitism.

The findings come amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across the United States since the October 7 Hamas attack and the subsequent war in Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)