Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes Increase by 37%, Reaching Highest Level in Decades
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK) and Representatives Kathy Manning (NC-06) and Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chairs of the Senate and House Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism, respectively, released the following statement in response to the release of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 2022 Hate Crime Statistics Report.
The FBI reported 11,634 hate crime incidents in 2022, the highest number recorded since the FBI started collecting hate crime data in 1991. Single-bias anti-Jewish hate crime incidents increased by more than 37% from 2021, with 1,122 reported incidents. This is the highest number recorded in almost three decades.
“We are deeply concerned by the FBI’s 2022 Hate Crimes Statistics report, which showed the highest number of reported anti-Jewish incidents in decades” said the Members. “This disturbing report underscores the seriousness of the rapidly growing threat of antisemitism to Jewish communities. According to FBI Director Wray, there is already an increase in reported threats to the Jewish community in response to Hamas’ war against Israel. It is imperative that the United States government immediately take extra measures to protect the Jewish community.”
Anti-Jewish hate crimes rose from 817 to 1,122 incidents from 2021 to 2022. According to the FBI, a total of 14,631 law enforcement agencies, which represent 77.5 percent of the agencies enrolled in the hate crime data collection program, participated in hate crimes reporting for 2022.
They continued: “At the same time, Congress, the Administration, and law enforcement agencies must continue to work together to increase participation and fill gaps in hate crime data reporting to enhance our understanding of the full scope of the threat facing American Jews and other targeted populations in the United States.”
Jews make up around two percent of the U.S. population, yet antisemitic hate crimes accounted for 9.6% of all hate crimes reported by the FBI. Anti-Jewish incidents comprised a little over half of all religion-based hate crimes, consistent with trends reported in prior years.
Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight against antisemitism. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen introduced, alongside Senator Lankford, the Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act to strengthen Holocaust education in the United States. Last Congress, her bipartisan Never Again Education Act was signed into law, establishing a federal fund through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to provide teachers with resources and training necessary to teach students the important lessons of the Holocaust. Senator Rosen also co-founded and co-leads the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism with Senator Lankford.
Read the full report here.
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