Three-quarters of U.S. Jews Fear for Their Safety Because of Israel-Hamas War, Poll Shows

Judy Maltz

In a poll conducted for the Jewish Federations of North America, two-thirds of Jewish Americans describe the climate in their communities as either tense, uncomfortable or scary

An overwhelming majority of Jewish Americans are concerned about their personal safety and believe antisemitism is on the rise, according to a poll published Thursday by the Jewish Federations of North America.

The poll, the first in-depth look at the effects of Israel's war in Gaza on Jewish Americans, shows that nearly a third of Jewish Americans (29 percent) are aware of physical acts of violence committed against members of their respective communities since the start of the war on October 7.

The poll shows that Americans in general believe Jews are facing growing hostility in the United States, but not to the same extent that Jews themselves do.

Among the Jewish respondents, 86 percent said they believed there was more antisemitism in the United States today than there was five years ago. Among the general population, nearly two-thirds of the respondents were of that opinion.

Jews who wore “distinctive Jewish” items such as kippas, according to the poll, were twice as likely as other Jews to report being concerned for their safety “all the time,” according to the poll.

The poll was carried out by Benenson Strategy Group between October 29 and November 1 through text messaging. It included a random sample of 3,777 respondents, including 2,199 respondents who identified as Jewish.

Nearly three out of four Jewish respondents said they believed there was “a lot” of antisemitism in the United States today, while more than 20 percent said there was “some.” Only 2 percent said there was “not much” antisemitism, and not one Jewish respondent said there was “none at all.”

Among the general population, more than three-quarters of the respondents said there was “a lot” or “some” antisemitism in the United States today.

Looking back at the past few weeks, nearly three out of four (72 percent) of Jewish respondents said antisemitism in their local communities was increasing, and a clear majority (58 percent) anticipated that this trend would continue.

Three out of four Jewish respondents said they were either “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” that the war between Israel and Hamas would cause safety and security issues in their local communities.

When asked how they would describe the climate in their respective communities since the outbreak of the war, nearly one in three of the Jewish respondents said “tense”; one in five said “uncomfortable”; and one in 10 said “scary.”

More than 40 percent of the Jewish respondents said that in the past month they were worried “very much” or “all the time” about their personal safety because of their religious identity.

Among the Jewish respondents, 82 percent said they were following the war in Gaza “very closely,” compared with just over half the respondents in the general population group. Nearly 70 percent of the Jewish respondents said they approved of the way U.S. President Joe Biden was handling the situation – as opposed to less than half (44 percent) of the respondents in the general population group.

Among the Jewish respondents, an overwhelming 87 percent believed it was important for the U.S. government to provide military aid to Israel.

The poll was timed for publication before next week’s big march on Washington in solidarity with Israel. JFNA is one of the march’s main sponsors.

“This polling demonstrates precisely why our community feels it is so important to mobilize and come to Washington, so that we can tell our nation’s leaders directly about the need to both stand up against the rampant antisemitism in our country and remain steadfast in their incredible support for Israel,” said Eric Fingerhut, JFNA president and CEO.

“We know that large majorities of Americans support Israel in its fight against terror, and it’s important not to let a vocal minority color that view,” he added.