More American Jews worry about security, antisemitism after Hamas attacks in Israel, poll says

America’s Jews feel less safe and worry about antisemitism’s rise after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist incursion, according to the first poll of the Jewish community here since the attacks.

The survey comes ahead of Tuesday’s “March for Israel” slated to bring Jews from across the nation to a Washington, D.C., rally in support of Israel and demonstrate solidarity with the hostages held captive by Hamas, said the Jewish Federations of North America, which sponsored the poll.

The Oct. 29-Nov. 1 poll reached 3,777 Americans, including 2,199 Jewish Americans. It found that 70% of Jewish respondents said they feel less safe than a few months earlier. Three-quarters of U.S. Jews worry their communities would face security problems as a result of the Israel-Hamas war.

Jews were twice as likely to say they worry greatly about their personal safety compared with the public overall. Those Jews who wear distinctive Jewish items such as a yarmulke or Star of David necklace reported being twice as likely to report feeling worried “all the time” versus those Jews who do not wear distinctive items, the survey indicated.

Seventy-two percent of U.S. Jews believe antisemitism is growing in their communities, as did 32% of the overall population. Twice as many Americans believe there is a lot of antisemitism than did two years ago, and they believe antisemitism is more pervasive than other forms of discrimination, the survey reported.

At the same time, 59% of Americans surveyed, and 87% of Jewish survey respondents, support military aid for Israel.

“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, Jewish Federations of North America 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 warp that view.”

According to the Jewish organization, the SMS text-based survey was fielded by Benenson Strategy Group among a random sample of US Adults and Jewish Americans using the Civis Analytics data set. The poll had a margin of error of ± 1.59% for the overall population and ± 2.09% for the Jewish population.