First regional decrease since October 7, 2023; K-12 incidents remain a growing concern
BOSTON, May 6, 2026, … ADL’s (the Anti-Defamation League) annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, issued today, recorded a total of 400 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism in 2025 within the New England region (covering Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont). While this marks the first regional decrease since October 7, 2023, the total remains nearly double the number of incidents recorded annually in the region prior to that date. Even as overall numbers fell, incidents at non-Jewish K-12 schools across the region rose, with Massachusetts alone seeing an increase from 50 in 2024 to 75 in 2025.
New England
ADL New England tracked a total of 400 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism in 2025, compared to 638 in 2024, a decrease of 37 percent. Incidents included 230 cases of harassment, 164 cases of vandalism and 6 cases of assault. Of all incidents in New England, 41 percent were related to Israel or Zionism.
In Massachusetts, non-Jewish K-12 schools saw the most reported incidents of any location type in the state and were the only physical location category to see an increase from 2024 to 2025, rising 50 percent from 50 incidents to 75. At the same time, college campus incidents in Massachusetts fell 65 percent, from 107 in 2024 to 37 in 2025, the sharpest decrease of any location type in the state. ADL offered support and resources to college administrators with the goal of improving the campus climate. Massachusetts ranked fourth nationally for incidents at universities and non-Jewish K-12 schools.
“The decrease in antisemitic incidents over the last year is a clear sign of progress,” said Samantha Joseph, ADL New England’s Regional Director. “But 400 incidents in a single year is still nearly double what this region saw before October 7, 2023, and K-12 incidents have increased. Our communities remain concerned for their safety, and our work is far from done.”
- Massachusetts – 279 incidents
- New Hampshire – 34 incidents
- Rhode Island – 26 incidents
- Vermont – 29 incidents
- Maine – 32 incidents
The following cities recorded the highest number of incidents in each state:
- Boston, MA – 57 incidents
- Portland, ME – 12 incidents
- Burlington, VT – 11 incidents
- Providence, RI – 11 incidents
- Manchester, NH – 6 incidents
Antisemitic incidents took place across a variety of locations throughout the region. Public areas including parks, streets, transit and buildings saw the highest concentration of incidents with 100 reported. Jewish institutions and schools recorded 62 incidents, including 41 at synagogues. Non-Jewish K-12 schools across the region saw 85 incidents, including 38 at high schools and 25 at middle schools. There were 49 incidents on college campuses, 37 at business establishments and 20 online.
Incidents Across the Region
The following incidents illustrate the range and impact of antisemitism across New England in 2025 and ADL New England’s response:
Massachusetts: A brick reading "Free Palestine" was thrown through the window of a kosher grocery store, sending a threatening message to the local Jewish community. ADL New England responded with onsite support, mobilized the community to rally around the business and launched a digital solidarity campaign that drew more than 400 signatures.
Maine: After a public restroom at a local grocery store was repeatedly vandalized with swastika graffiti, ADL New England contacted the store manager directly, secured a commitment to remove the graffiti and monitor the space and worked alongside the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine to ensure the community felt heard and supported.
Vermont: After a swastika was carved into a school computer at a Vermont high school, ADL New England engaged school administrators, facilitated staff conversations about response protocols and connected district leaders with peer educators from similar school environments.
Rhode Island: Following a string of antisemitic bullying and graffiti incidents at a Rhode Island high school, ADL New England provided advocacy over several months, facilitated direct conversations between the affected family, school administration and guidance staff and continues to partner with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island to ensure lasting support.
New Hampshire: A constituent experiencing a pattern of antisemitic harassment from a neighbor, including being chased and subjected to antisemitic slurs, contacted ADL New England. ADL met directly with the constituent, notified the New Hampshire Jewish Federation and escalated the matter to the New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General’s Civil Rights Unit.
Factors that Explain the Decrease in Overall Antisemitic Incidents in 2025
The decrease in national antisemitic incidents was driven largely by a significant drop in Israel/Zionism-related incidents and a steep decline in campus antisemitism. Nationally, the share of antisemitic incidents related to Israel or Zionism fell from 58 percent in 2024 to 45 percent in 2025. Of all incidents in New England, 41 percent were related to Israel or Zionism in 2025, a decrease from 63 percent in 2024.
Antisemitic incidents on college and university campuses fell 66 percent nationally and 68 percent in New England (from 151 in 2024 to 49 in 2025), in part because schools took concrete steps to address antisemitism – motivated by pressure from ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card, which has led universities to adopt stronger policies, and from ADL’s legal actions. ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card showed that New England schools showed significant progress in protecting Jewish students. Notably, Northeastern University improved from a B to an A. Tufts University improved from a C to a B.
United States
This regional data reflects broader national trends. Nationally, 2025 marked one of the most violent periods for American Jews, with physical assaults reaching record high levels and antisemitic attacks resulting in fatalities on American soil for the first time since 2022 and in Jewish fatalities for the first time since 2019, according to ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, released today.
Across the country, there were 6,274 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment and vandalism in 2025, an average of 17 incidents per day. While this total represents a 33-percent decrease from 2024, it remains considerably higher than the total in years prior to the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel, and ranks as the third-highest year for antisemitic incidents (after 2023 and 2024), since ADL began tracking in 1979.
Even as overall incidents decreased nationally, physical assaults increased by 4 percent, and incidents of assault involving a deadly weapon increased by 39-percent. Moreover, three people were murdered in antisemitic attacks this past year: two victims in the May 21, 2025, shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., and one victim who died from injuries sustained in the June 1, 2025, firebombing attack at a "Run for Their Lives" event in Boulder, Colorado.
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 2016-2025 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. As an example, slightly fewer than half of anti-Israel rallies assessed by ADL contained antisemitic content that qualified to be counted within this 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.
Individuals who experience an antisemitic incident can report it to ADL: https://www.adl.org/report-incident.
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913 to protect the Jewish people, ADL works to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. In the face of rising antisemitism and extremism, we protect, advocate and educate, through a mix of programs and services using the latest innovations and technology, and seek to create a world without hate.