Antisemitic Incidents in New Jersey Remain at Historically Elevated Levels Despite Modest Decline

New York, NY, May 6, 2026… According to new data released by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today, reported antisemitic incidents in New Jersey declined by 4% in 2025, totaling 687 incidents. This places New Jersey third in the nation for highest number of antisemitic incidents in any state. While these numbers represent a modest decrease from 2024's total of 719 incidents, it remains 86% higher than five years ago and 68% higher than pre-October 7 levels, demonstrating that antisemitism continues to be deeply entrenched at historically elevated levels.

Across the country, there were 6,274 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment and vandalism in 2025, an average of 17 incidents per day. While this total represents a 33-percent decrease from 2024, it remains considerably higher than the total in years prior to the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel, and ranks as the third-highest year for antisemitic incidents (after 2023 and 2024), since ADL began tracking in 1979.

"While we are troubled by this continued elevated level of antisemitic hate, we are relieved to see sharp decreases in important areas where ADL has been doing significant work like New Jersey’s universities and education about Israel and Zionism." said Scott Richman, ADL New York/New Jersey Regional Director. "However, we are deeply concerned by the continued surge in plain, old-fashioned antisemitism – if we remove Israel/Zionism-based incidents from last year’s and this year’s data, there would actually be a 7.5% increase in antisemitic incidents this year." 

Major New Jersey Findings

In total, ADL recorded the following number of antisemitic incidents in New Jersey in 2025:

• 422 incidents of harassment (a decrease of 12%)
• 245 incidents of vandalism (an increase of 11%)
• 20 incidents of assault (up by 3). One-third of assaults targeted people who were visibly Jewish.

32% of all antisemitic incidents in NJ featured a swastika; swastika use has increased 28% from 2024.

While antisemitic incidents related to Israel or Zionism skyrocketed in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, there was a decrease in this category of incidents last year. In 2025, only 157 incidents were related to Israel or Zionism (down a striking 30%) and only 17% of these incidents were rallies or gatherings. Instead, ADL is tracking a return to old-fashioned antisemitism. Removing all of the Israel or Zionism-related incidents from 2024 and 2025, there would actually be a 7.5% increase in antisemitic incidents this year.

Geographic Data

ADL's 2025 Audit recorded antisemitic incidents in 20 of 21 New Jersey counties. The following counties experienced the highest number of antisemitic incidents:

1. Bergen: 139 incidents (14% decrease)
2. Middlesex: 80 incidents (14% decrease)
3. Monmouth: 76 incidents (4% increase)
4. Mercer: 61 incidents (97% increase)
5. Ocean: 50 incidents (2% decrease)

Geographic Hotspots

While Bergen County remained first in the state, the geographic distribution of incidents shifted notably in 2025. Princeton (Mercer County) emerged as the leading municipality with 30 incidents. Princeton University accounted for 6 of these incidents and the majority of the municipality’s incidents were antisemitic vandalism.

Lakewood, a municipality with a large Orthodox population, had the second most incidents with 29. In comparison to Princeton, harassment made up 75% of the incidents. This was followed by Teaneck (26 incidents), another city with a large Orthodox population, which also saw a concentration of antisemitic harassment incidents. 80% of Teaneck’s incidents were categorized as harassment.

Jersey City, which experienced sprees of antisemitic graffiti, had 22 incidents, followed by Cherry Hill (19), New Brunswick (18, of which 7 were at Rutgers), and Englewood (17, which also has a large modern Orthodox population; 15 of the Englewood incidents were antisemitic harassment).

Assaults

New Jersey recorded 20 antisemitic assaults in 2025, an increase of 3 from 2024. Seven of these assaults (35%) targeted Orthodox Jews. The harassment of visibly Jewish individuals continued to be a major concern, particularly in communities with large Orthodox populations. These assaults included:

• In Brick, a suspect exiting a store stated to the victim "free Palestine" multiple times. The victim asked the suspect to repeat himself and the suspect responded by saying "f-ing Jew, "piece of s—t," "f—ing baby killer," and other antisemitic remarks. When the victim began to record the situation, the suspect pushed and struck the victim.
• In December, a group of young Jewish community members was assaulted in Cherry Hill Township. They were approached by a vehicle whose occupants addressed the group with, "Hey Jews," and asked where they went to school. The vehicle passed the group, turned around, and 3 or more occupants exited the vehicle. The group ran from the vehicle/occupants and had ice thrown at them.
• In Jackson, a constituent reported that a man came up to her visibly Jewish son in a park and pointed a gun at the child and said, "Dirty Jew."

Incident Locations

Public Areas

Of the 687 incidents recorded in New Jersey, 232 took place in public areas (a 5% increase from 2024), 188 in non-Jewish K-12 schools (a 13% increase), 65 at Jewish institutions (a 22% decrease), 55 at private residences (a 20% decrease), 50 at business establishments (a 6% decrease), and 19 at colleges and universities (a 76% decrease).

Of the 232 antisemitic incidents that took place in a public area in New Jersey in 2025, there were 120 reported incidents of harassment, 100 incidents of vandalism, and 12 assaults. 71 incidents in public areas were Israel or Zionism related, and 61 included a swastika.

Non-Jewish K-12 Schools

Of particular concern were the 188 antisemitic incidents that took place at non-Jewish K-12 schools in 2025, a 13% increase over 2024. In fact, New Jersey led the nation with the highest number of school incidents in any state (in part due to the state’s model, mandatory reporting). New Jersey’s antisemitic school incidents were nearly evenly split between harassment (93) and vandalism (91), with 4 antisemitic assaults also reported. Examples of these incidents include:

• A student yelled, "kill all the Jews" during class.
• Students on a school bus shared Nazi imagery and symbols to their friends through group chats.
• For several weeks a student was verbally harassed by being told that she has a "Jew nose," claims that she picks pennies off the ground, told she likes bagels because she is Jewish, and was subjected to Nazi salutes.
• Multiple schools experienced swastika graffiti in various locations, including bathrooms and desks.

Campus

ADL recorded 19 incidents of antisemitism on college campuses in New Jersey. This is a 76% decrease in campus incidents from 2024 and only two more than 2022 (pre-10/7 levels). Of these incidents, 12 were incidents of harassment and 7 were incidents of vandalism; 10 included references to Israel or Zionism.

A significant change that ADL observed in 2025 was a decrease in the number of anti-Israel protests on campuses that included antisemitism. In 2024, ADL recorded 32 anti-Israel protests or rallies that included antisemitic rhetoric. In 2025, ADL observed 5 antisemitic protests, a stark decrease that reflects the efforts schools are making to balance freedom of speech with time, place and manner restrictions that do not create hostile or dangerous environments for Jewish students, faculty and staff.

In 2024, Rutgers University documented 47 incidents and made up over 60% of all campus incidents in New Jersey. In 2025, that fell to 7 incidents. This demonstrates that the efforts the institution is making are having a positive effect in curbing antisemitic incidents on campus.

Some incidents ADL responded to on campuses in New Jersey include:

• Rutgers Hillel hosted Representative Josh Gottheimer, who spoke about the concerning rise in antisemitism. During the event, a group of protesters gathered outside of Hillel, directing anti-Israel and antisemitic slogans at attendees, and one protester assaulted a police officer.

Jewish Institutions

ADL recorded 65 incidents of antisemitism at Jewish institutions in New Jersey in 2025. This marks a 22% decrease from 2024 but still a notable 41% increase from 2022. Of these incidents, 36 occurred at synagogues. The vast majority of these incidents were harassment (55 of the 65).

Some incidents ADL responded to include:

• In January, a synagogue in South Orange, NJ was targeted with graffiti featuring a red arrow and the phrase "terrorists this way." Additionally, congregants were harassed by protesters and were called, among other things, "Baby Killers."
• In September, an Israeli flag was burned outside of a synagogue in Tenafly.

Businesses

Fifty incidents were documented at business establishments, a 6% decrease compared to 2024. This included 36 incidents of harassment, 12 vandalism and 2 assaults. Nine of the incidents involved swastikas and 12 included references to Israel or Zionism. Examples of these incidents include:

• During a service appointment at a tire shop in North Plainfield, the victim in this case reported that an employee refused his business because he was wearing a "kipah."
• At a restaurant in High Bridge, an individual made antisemitic comments to employees at a coffee shop, including, "F**k the Jews."

Online

Online incidents in New Jersey increased 15% from 2024 (from 46 to 53 incidents). It is important to note that the Audit of Antisemitic Incidents only includes online incidents if they target a specific person. General antisemitic vitriol posted online is not included in the Audit. Examples of online antisemitic incidents in the Audit include:

• A SnapChat user in Freehold received antisemitic messages, including, “Gas the Jews" and "I want to kill and gas all the Jews. I love Hitler."
• On a map application, the address of a Jewish family in Deal was labelled as "Auschwitz."

Orthodox/Visibly Jewish Incidents

In 2025, 36 recorded incidents targeted Orthodox or visibly Jewish individuals, up from 35 in 2024. A substantial number of these incidents - 80% of them, totaling 29 - were harassment. The 7 remaining incidents were all assaults, including 2 assaults with a deadly weapon.

It is notable that incidents involving Orthodox Jews are seven times more likely to be a physical assault, as compared to other antisemitic incidents in the state. Assaults make up only 3% of incidents across the state in total, but 19% of Orthodox-related incidents.

In Lakewood, two trends emerged relating to the rhetoric used in harassment incidents. First, the Holocaust was commonly referenced by perpetrators. Second, we saw resentment about the Orthodox community’s presence in the neighborhood.

Another notable trend in harassment incidents concentrated in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods was perpetrators shouting antisemitic slurs or rhetoric from their vehicle, suggesting that they might be specifically choosing to drive through neighborhoods with visibly Jewish populations to harass and intimidate residents.

Some examples of incidents targeting Orthodox Jews in New Jersey in 2025:

• In January, an Orthodox Jew at a gas station in Ocean County was told “your grandparents are on a train to Auschwitz.”
• In April, during a dispute over a parking spot in Bergen County, a suspect pointed a firearm at a Jewish man and unleashed a stream of antisemitic slurs.
• In October, an Orthodox Jewish family was attacked on a train platform in Union County; the assailant picked the children up and threw them to the ground.

Methodology

The ADL Audit includes both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment, vandalism and assault against individuals and groups as reported to ADL by victims, law enforcement, the media and partner organizations and evaluated by ADL's experts.

The complete dataset for antisemitic incidents for 2016-2025 is available on ADL's H.E.A.T. Map, an interactive online tool that allows users to geographically chart antisemitic incidents and extremist activity. The full dataset can also be downloaded by anyone who would like to take a closer look at individual incidents.

ADL is careful to not conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with antisemitism. Legitimate political protest, support for Palestinian rights or expressions of opposition to Israeli policies is not included in the Audit. As an example, slightly fewer than half of anti-Israel rallies assessed by ADL contained antisemitic content that qualified to be counted within this Audit.

ADL's approach to Israel-related expressions comports with the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The complete Audit methodology is included in the report on our website.

The Audit offers a snapshot of one of the ways American Jews encounter antisemitism, but a full understanding of antisemitism in the U.S. requires other forms of analysis as well, including public opinion polling, assessments of online antisemitism and examinations of extremist activity, all of which ADL offers in other reports.