Decrease In Florida, With A Rise In Anti-Israel Incidents
Contact: David Hoffman (470) 875-0098 | [email protected]
Boca Raton, FL, April 22, 2025 – ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, released today, highlights record levels of incidents across the country. In Florida, ADL tracked 353 antisemitic incidents in 2024. While this represents a 24 percent decline from the 463 incidents recorded the previous year, Florida continues to experience heightened levels of antisemitism. The 2024 total marks a 277% increase over the 127 incidents that took place in 2020.
“From harassment to vandalism and assaults – the current level of antisemitism that we see across Florida marks a disturbing trend,” said Daniel Frank, ADL Florida Regional Director. “While we welcome any decrease in the overall number of incidents, the significant rise in Israel-related antisemitic activity highlights the formidable challenges faced by Jewish communities throughout our state.”
The audit data reveals significant shifts in antisemitic activity across Florida, with Israel-related incidents rising from 116 to 161. Israel-related incidents and demonstrations that did not include antisemitic expressions were not included in the audit.
The state saw a sharp reduction of offensive literature distribution, with only 8 reported incidents of antisemitic flyering in 2024 compared to 75 in 2023.
ADL has advocated in recent years for legislation, including 2023’s Florida House Bill 269, that sought to address antisemitism and extremism in the wake of highly visible incidents. We thank legislators for taking a stance against antisemitism and extremism.
Anyone who witnesses or is victim to an antisemitic incident is encouraged to report it to ADL at adl.org/report-incident.
Nationally, the number of bomb threats decreased significantly – down 35%, from 1009 to 647. However, the number of bomb threats targeting Jewish institutions in Florida remained near their previous levels – 82 in 2024 compared with 89 in 2023.
Major Findings in Florida
Overall Incidents: 353 total incidents in 2024, a 24 percent decrease from 463 in 2023. Over a five-year trajectory however, incidents increased by 277% and therefore remain at significant levels.
ADL categorizes incidents into three categories:
- Harassment: 292 incidents in 2024, a decrease from 2023
- Vandalism: 55 incidents in 2024, a decrease from 2023
- Assaults: 6 incidents in 2024, with 5 occurring in Miami-Dade County and 1 in Broward County
Other findings of note include:
- Anti-Israel Incidents: 161 incidents in 2024, an increase from 116 in 2023
- Public Gatherings: 91 incidents related to gatherings, parades, picketing, or meetings in 2024. 89 of these 91 incidents were Israel/Zionism-related
Notable Incidents
Assaults
- In Miami-Dade County, an individual threatened a group of visibly Jewish people with a knife and yelled, “All Jews were the devil! All Jews must die!”
- In Broward County, a Jewish individual was physically assaulted by an individual who allegedly stated, “I hate the Jews. I want to kill you now.”
Vandalism
- In St. Johns County, a neighborhood community center was vandalized with swastika graffiti and the words “Heil Hitler”.
- In Broward County, “Hitler was right” was spray-painted on a sidewalk a block from a synagogue.
- In Miami-Dade County, an individual toppled an outdoor menorah and wrote: “God hates Jews” on a bus stop.
Harassment
- In May, more than 20 synagogues across the state were targeted by a bomb threat via email that stated “I hate jews [sic] and they must all die in this attack I have placed on your synagogue. The bomb will kill you all.”
- In Palm Beach County, multiple students harassed a Jewish classmate with antisemitic comments, including, “Kill the Jews.”
- In Orange County, an individual approached Jewish university students who were participating in a gathering with Israeli flags and stated, “I will shoot you.”
Geographic Distribution
Increasingly, incidents have been reported outside of South Florida, including in Hillsborough and Duval Counties. The top 10 counties for incidents quantitatively in 2024 were:
| Rank | County | # of Incidents 2024 | # of Incidents 2023 | Percentage Increase/Decrease since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palm Beach | 51 | 83 | -39% |
| 2 | Hillsborough | 43 | 33 | +30% |
| 2 | Miami-Dade | 43 | 62 | -31% |
| 3 | Broward | 39 | 55 | -29% |
| 4 | Duval | 33 | 24 | +38% |
| 5 | Orange | 29 | 39 | -26% |
| 6 | Alachua | 17 | 15 | +13% |
| 7 | Pinelias | 16 | 28 | -43% |
| 8 | Lee | 10 | 4 | +150% |
| 9 | Leon | 9 | 9 | 0 |
“Acts of antisemitism should not be alarming just for the Jewish community, but must be recognized as detrimental to our entire society,” said Frank.
ADL’s Response and Community Efforts
ADL Florida has responded to these evolving challenges through multiple strategic initiatives, including:
- Engaging with university administrations around implementing policies to effect positive, lasting change for the safety and security of Jewish students.
- Training law enforcement officials to recognize and effectively respond to antisemitic incidents and recognize extremism.
National Trends
Nationally, ADL recorded 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2024, a 5 percent increase from the 8,873 incidents recorded in 2023, which was itself a historic high. The 12-month total for 2024 averaged more than 25 targeted anti-Jewish incidents in the U.S. per day, more than one an hour.
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, including support for Palestinian rights or expressions of opposition to Israeli policies is not incorporated in the Audit. ADL’s approach to Israel-related expressions comports with the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
The full Audit methodology can be found on ADL’s national 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: Antisemitic Attitudes in America 2024 survey, 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.
Learn more information about ADL's Audit of Antisemitic Incidents.