The Jewish community in the United States is now spending more than $1 billion annually to protect shuls, schools, community centers and other Jewish institutions, according to new data from the Jewish Federations of North America.

Annual security spending has reached approximately $1.015 billion — a 33% jump from the previous 2024 estimate of $765 million.

The figures cover more than 4,500 Jewish institutions nationwide, with an average annual security cost of roughly $225,000 per institution. The total does not include private Jewish businesses, including kosher restaurants and stores.

Much of the money is spent on security guards and security personnel, while approximately $150 million annually goes toward cameras, security systems, building hardening and maintenance of protective equipment.

Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut said the enormous increase demonstrates how dangerous life has become for American Jews, noting that every dollar spent on guards and cameras is money that cannot be used for Jewish education, caring for the elderly or assisting families in need.

According to the Federations, the more than $1 billion being spent annually on security could instead cover Jewish school tuition for approximately 44,000 children, pay for summer camp for every Jewish child in the United States, or fund all Birthright Israel trips for a decade.

The staggering costs come amid continued concerns over antisemitic hate crimes. NYPD data cited in the report shows that while major crime in New York City fell 6.2% during the first eight months of 2026, confirmed antisemitic hate crimes rose 8% to 229 incidents. Jews were targeted in more than half of the city’s 425 confirmed hate crimes during that period.

FBI data for 2025 also showed that anti-Jewish offenses accounted for 64% of all religiously motivated hate crimes nationwide, despite Jews comprising only about 2% of the U.S. population.

The Federations are using the new figures to press Congress for increased funding for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program and additional legislation aimed at helping Jewish institutions shoulder the growing cost of protecting their communities.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)