ADL Reports Sharp Decline in Antisemitic Incidents in 2025, but Violence Remains High The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) documented a 33% drop in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in 2025, driven by a significant decrease in campus protests. However, the year still saw record levels of violence against American Jews, with 203 physical assaults and high-profile attacks. The report highlights ongoing debates over the definition of antisemitism, particularly in relation to criticism of Israel and Zionism. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a significant decline in antisemitic incidents across the United States in 2025, marking the first reduction in five years. The drop was largely attributed to a dramatic decrease in incidents on college campuses, where pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist protests had surged in 2024 amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The ADL recorded 1,694 antisemitic incidents on U.S. campuses in 2024, but this number plummeted by 66% in 2025, falling to 583. This decline followed increased pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, which pushed colleges and universities to curb such protests. Overall, the ADL’s annual audit, released Wednesday, documented 6,274 antisemitic incidents in 2025, including assaults, harassment, and vandalism—a 33% decrease from the record-high 9,354 incidents in 2024.The states with the highest number of incidents were New York (1,160), California (817), and New Jersey (687). Despite the overall decline, the ADL’s national director and CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, described 2025 as one of the most violent years for American Jews, with a record 203 physical assaults. He highlighted the murders of two Jewish individuals outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in May and the death of an 82-year-old Jewish woman from injuries sustained in a firebombing attack at an event in Boulder, Colorado, in June. The ADL’s methodology for categorizing antisemitic incidents has sparked debate, particularly regarding the distinction between criticism of Israeli policies or Zionism and outright antisemitism. In 2024, 58% of incidents were linked to Israel or Zionism, a trend that continued in 2025, though the proportion dropped to 45%.The ADL noted a significant reduction in anti-Israel rallies featuring extreme rhetoric, with an 83% decrease on college campuses. The organization has taken steps to hold colleges accountable, including launching a Campus Antisemitism Report Card and filing lawsuits, such as a settlement against Pomona College. Greenblatt emphasized that while the decline is positive, the situation remains dire, with campus incidents in 2025 still nearly four times higher than in 2021.The ADL’s report underscores the complexity of defining antisemitism, particularly in relation to Zionism, with critics arguing that the ADL’s criteria are too broad. Antisemitism expert Aryeh Tuchman acknowledged the ADL’s concerns about anti-Zionism as a threat to Jewish safety but noted that the issue is contentious, with differing perspectives on where criticism of Israel crosses into antisemitism.Tuchman, formerly of the ADL’s Center on Extremism, now leads the Nexus Center for Antisemitism, advocating for a more nuanced approach to defining antisemitism