Money spent on security for Jewish institutions surpassed $1 billion in 2025, according to data collected by the Jewish Federations of North America.

The JFNA said this reflects the rising cost of antisemitism and urged Congress to pass the Jewish American Security Act, which, at $1 billion, would fully fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).

“The fact that Jewish communal spending has shot up 33% is a measure of how much more dangerous life has become for Jewish Americans, and sadly we know that we need even more investment to protect ourselves against the rising level of threat,” said Eric D. Fingerhut, President and CEO of the JFNA. “We are grateful for the partnership of Congress and this Administration, but the need has outpaced the resources. Passing the Jewish American Security Act and fully funding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $1 billion is the single most important step lawmakers can take to keep Jewish Americans and all faith communities safe.”

The study examined the security costs of 4,500 institutions such as  Jewish community centers, synagogues, schools, summer camps, and other Jewish nonprofit institutions but did not include privately owned businesses such as kosher restaurants, markets, and grocery stores or Judaica shops and Jewish bookstores. It found that the average expenditure for each institution was $225,000, a 33 percent increase from 2024, when an estimated total of $765 million was spent.

Security personnel such as security guards and security directors took up most of the expenditures, a problem the Jewish American Security Act would address by allowing more funds from the NSGP to flow toward security personnel.

Nevertheless, even more than $1 billion in security spending might not be enough.

“Despite the increased spending, events of recent years have proven that further security investments are still needed. Antisemitic threats and violence are rising, and Jewish Americans are having to increase their spending on security just to practice their faith without fear of violence,” the JFNA reported, citing the FBI hate crime statistic from 2025 that 64 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes targeted Jews despite Jews representing only 2 percent of the population. The FBI also reported that Jews were the second-most targeted group in all hate crimes.

The JFNA estimates that “the total spend currently devoted to security would be enough to send 44,000 kids to Jewish Day School, cover the costs of every child attending Jewish summer camp, or fund every Birthright Trip for a decade.”

“Every dollar our community spends on guards and cameras is a dollar not spent on Jewish education, on caring for our elderly, on taking care of those in need,” Fingerhut said.