Anti-Jewish incidents in CO, NM, WY increase 48 percent year-over-year and reach highest levels in more than four decades, according to annual ADL report

 

Denver, CO, April 22, 2025 …Antisemitic incidents reported in 2024 in the three-state region of Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming reached their highest levels in more than four decades, according to new data released today by ADL (Anti-Defamation League). Nationally, a massive spike in antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel continued in 2024, with national totals again exceeding any other annual tally in the past 46 years. This is the fourth year in a row that annual incidents nationally exceeded the previous all-time high.

 

In the Mountain States Region of Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, the number of reported antisemitic incidents surged by 48 percent and outpaced the national increase of 5 percent. There were 357 incidents of anti-Jewish assault, vandalism and harassment reported in the three-state region in 2024 compared to 242 incidents in 2023, according to ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents.

 

“Jewish individuals in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming are experiencing antisemitism at unprecedented levels. No group of people should have to accept this type of hate and harassment,” said Susan Rona, ADL Mountain States Regional Director. “The alarming statistics only tell part of the story. Whether it’s a Jewish individual being harassed at the grocery store for wearing a Jewish star, a high school student being assaulted at a New Year’s party because of the student’s Jewish identity or a synagogue receiving threatening phone calls, the harm to Jewish individuals is real. Jews alone can’t stop the multifaceted hate targeting our communities. All people must push back against this hate.”

In 2024, Colorado recorded 279 anti-Jewish incidents, 41% higher than the record of 198 recorded the previous year. The five-year trend shows that incidents have climbed a staggering 373 percent in the state since 2020. Colorado ranked ninth in the nation in 2024 for the total number of reported antisemitic incidents and third in the nation for the number of antisemitic white supremacist propaganda distributions.

New Mexico recorded 47 anti-Jewish incidents in 2024, 52% higher than the 31 incidents recorded the previous year. The five-year trend shows that incidents have climbed a whopping 488 percent in the state since 2020.

 

Wyoming recorded 31 anti-Jewish incidents in 2024, 138% higher than the 13 incidents recorded the previous year. The five-year trend shows that incidents have increased significantly from zero reports in 2020 to 31 in 2024.

 

Among the reports the ADL Mountain States Region received in 2024:

 

Colorado

• At least 10 synagogues in Colorado were targeted with bomb threats on the same day in January 2024.
• A group of middle school students assaulted a Jewish student after asking him if he supports Israel.
• A Star of David and the word: “Jew” were spray-painted outside the residence of an Orthodox Jewish student at the University of Colorado Boulder.
• Fliers advertising a Passover seder hosted by a Jewish campus organization at Colorado State University were vandalized with: “Satanic death cult.”
• A mezuzah (small decorative case containing parchment with biblical verses that many Jewish people attach to their doorposts) was ripped from the doorpost of a home and the scroll was taken out and thrown on the ground.

 

New Mexico

• Two synagogues received bomb threats on separate days.
• Two students blocked a Jewish classmate from exiting school and said, “Heil Hitler.”
• During a film about World War II, two high school students performed Nazi salutes in front of a Jewish classmate.
• A Jewish-owned business was vandalized with a swastika.
• A Jewish employee was harassed by coworkers who made jokes about the Holocaust and other antisemitic statements.

 

Wyoming

• Individuals associated with the antisemitic Goyim Defense League disrupted a Jackson town council meeting with antisemitic and racist comments.
• A total of 28 of the 31 incidents reported in Wyoming were antisemitic white supremacist propaganda distributions by white supremacist groups in more than 12 different towns

Nationally, the ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents recorded 9,354 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment and vandalism across the country, more than one per hour. This total represents a 5 percent increase from 2023 (already a record-setting year), a 344 percent increase over the past five years, an 893 percent increase over the past 10 years and is the highest level recorded since ADL started tracking this data in 1979.

 

“This horrifying level of antisemitism should never be accepted and yet, as our data shows, it has become a persistent and grim reality for American Jewish communities,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “Jewish Americans continue to be harassed, assaulted and targeted for who they are on a daily basis and everywhere they go. But let’s be clear: we will remain proud of our Jewish culture, religion and identities, and we will not be intimidated by bigots.”

 

Antisemitic Incidents related to Israel or Zionism

 

In 2024, for the first time, a majority of all incidents (58 percent, or 5,452 incidents) were related to Israel. Nationally, about half of the more than 5,000 anti-Israel rallies tracked by ADL in 2024 contained antisemitic expressions; those that did not contain antisemitic elements were not included in the Audit. When antisemitic expressions of this sort appeared at a rally, ADL tabulated them as a single incident regardless of how many times they were repeated or how many different forms they took.

Activity and rhetoric documented at these rallies included: justification or glorification of antisemitic violence, promotion of classic antisemitic tropes including blood libel, conspiracy theories and signage equating Judaism or Zionism with Nazism, celebration of the anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack in Israel, and unapologetic support for terrorism, designated terrorist organizations and their leaders.

 

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) were the two most active organizers or co-sponsors of protests where antisemitic incidents occurred, and combined were involved in over 50 percent of the protests in this category.

“In 2024, hatred toward Israel was a driving force behind antisemitism across the U.S., with more than half of all antisemitic incidents referencing Israel or Zionism,” said Oren Segal, ADL Senior Vice President for Counter-Extremism and Intelligence. “These incidents, along with all those documented in the Audit, serve as a clear reminder that silence is not an option. Good people must stand up, push back, and confront antisemitism wherever it appears. And that starts with understanding what fuels it and learning to recognize it in all its forms. All the data is available in the H.E.A.T. Map, highlighting our commitment to transparency.”

Major National Findings

 

• Assaults: 196 incidents (a 21 percent increase from 2023) were categorized as assault, defined as cases where Jewish people (or people perceived to be Jewish) were targeted with physical violence accompanied by evidence of antisemitic animus. Orthodox Jews were targeted in 30 percent of assaults. The 196 incidents of assault targeted at least 250 victims; none of these assaults were fatal.
• Vandalism: 2,606 incidents (a 20 percent increase from 2023) were categorized as vandalism, defined as cases where property was damaged along with evidence of antisemitic intent or where there was an antisemitic impact on Jews. Swastikas, which are generally interpreted as symbols of antisemitic hatred, were present in 37 percent of these cases.

 

• Harassment: 6,552 incidents (up from 6,535 incidents recorded in 2023) were categorized as harassment, defined as cases where one or more Jewish people (or people perceived to be Jewish) were harassed with language that includes antisemitic slurs, stereotypes or tropes. There were 647 bomb threats. The harassment category also includes many of the expressions of antisemitism occurring at anti-Israel rallies described above.
• Incidents on (or around) college and university campuses rose more steeply than any other location type. In 2024, ADL recorded 1,694 antisemitic incidents on college campuses, which is 84 percent higher than in 2023. Campus incidents comprised 18 percent of all incidents, a larger proportion than in any previous Audit.

 

• Antisemitic activity also increased by 19 percent in public areas (3,452 incidents) and by 11 percent at business establishments, including Jewish-owned businesses. 860 incidents were reported at non-Jewish K-12 schools in 2024, a decrease of 26 percent. Given the insidious nature of bullying, compounded by the fact that many children may not feel empowered to report their experiences, it is likely that the actual number of school-based antisemitic incidents was significantly higher than the data reported in the Audit.

 

• Antisemitic incidents occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The states with the highest levels of incidents were New York (1,437) and California (1,344). Their largest cities, New York City (976) and Los Angeles (297), also reported the most incidents.

 

White Supremacist Propaganda

There were 962 antisemitic propaganda incidents (dissemination of antisemitic print materials and public events) connected to white supremacist groups last year, down 17 percent from 2023. Incidents were recorded in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Three groups (Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League and the White Lives Matter network) were responsible for 94 percent of this activity.

 

Targeting of Jewish Institutions

 

While incidents decreased by 14 percent at Jewish institutions, they remained elevated compared to pre-October 7 levels, with 1,702 incidents recorded in 2024. Moreover, assaults at Jewish institutions more than doubled (from 9 to 20 incidents) and vandalism increased by 39 percent (from 148 to 205 incidents).

 

Jewish organizations were targeted with a total of 627 bomb threats, 89 percent of which targeted synagogues. Congregants were harassed and even assaulted; some anti-Israel groups also escalated their tactics, protesting Jewish religious and cultural institutions on dozens of occasions.

 

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 2016-2024 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. 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, such as: ADL Survey of Antisemitic Attitudes in America 2024, Campus Antisemitism One Year After the Hamas Terrorist Attacks, the ADL Global 100: Index of Antisemitism, Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience and White Supremacist Propaganda Assessment Focused on Jews and Immigrants in 2024.

 

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all. ADL’s Mountain States Region covers Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. More at https://mountainstates.adl.org/.