Poll reveals growing safety fears among Jews

Many Jewish adults feel unsafe in the United States, according to a new AP-NORC poll, with a majority stating they feel less secure than they did before the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas.

The survey by The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research indicates how the attitudes of Jewish adults regarding personal safety shifted over a brief period as more Americans grew critical of the close alliance between the United States and Israel.

Protests erupted across the US over Israeli military actions against Palestinians in Gaza, coinciding with a rise in violent attacks targeting American Jewish communities.

The findings underscore the vulnerability felt by many US Jewish adults as bipartisan backing for Israel weakens and notable divisions surface within the Jewish community regarding the definition of antisemitism, especially concerning anti-Israel protests.

Approximately three in ten Jewish adults reported that they or a member of their household faced physical assault, verbal abuse, online harassment, or property damage due to their Jewish background over the past year.

Furthermore, about six in ten Jewish adults view prejudice against Jewish people as an extremely or very serious problem in the United States today.

This perspective is particularly pronounced among those expressing a strong emotional attachment to Israel.

Regarding current safety, around one-third of Jewish adults feel very or somewhat safe, another third feel very or somewhat unsafe, and the remaining three in ten feel neither safe nor unsafe.

Those maintaining a close bond with Israel or identifying as Jewish by religion are more likely to feel threatened. About six in ten Jewish adults feel less safe now than before the 2023 attack, whereas one-third feel about as safe.

Some individuals became wary of outwardly identifying as Jewish.

Additionally, one in ten reported physical assault or property damage within their household, while two in ten experienced verbal harassment or online bullying.

Regular attendees of religious services reported higher rates of harassment following recent targeted attacks on religious spaces.

-AP