Letter to U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions entered into the record at the "Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus: Ensuring Safe Learning Environments for All Students”

March 27, 2025

March 27, 2025


Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions

428 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510


The Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI) is honored to submit the following Comments for the Record to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions in support of the Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus: Ensuring

Safe Learning Environments for All Students hearing being held on Thursday, March 27, 2025.


JEI is an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that conducts surveys, and interprets, reports, and educates the public and legislators alike about the perspectives, voting behaviors, and motivations of the American Jewish

electorate. JEI undertakes all its work and reports its findings without bias or favor with respect to any political group or ideology. Through its polling, studies, seminars, focus groups, and educational programming JEI is the leading nonpartisan

voice explaining the positions and voting behaviors of the American Jewish electorate.


This is why we are so grateful to the Committee for holding this important hearing. As you know, the spike in antisemitic incidents nationwide is cause for deep alarm in both the American Jewish community and broader American society. The

drivers of antisemitism are diverse, yet their impact severe. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) most recent report tracking anti-Jewish hate crimes, published in September 2024, in 2023 “… single-bias anti-Jewish hate

crime incidents rose to 1,832 incidents, a sharp increase of 63 percent from 2022, and the highest number ever recorded by the FBI since it began collecting data in 1991.” In addition, “… although Jews only make up around two percent of the U.S.

population, reported single-bias anti-Jewish hate crimes comprised 15 percent of all hate crimes and 68 percent of all reported religion-based hate crimes in 2023.” It's clear from these statistics that antisemitism in the U.S. is not only on the rise, but that without strong action taken to defeat it, will be here with us to stay.


Because of this unacceptable situation, JEI commissioned a researcher shortly after the November 2024 presidential election to conduct a national post-election survey via online interviews of over 1000 American Jews who voted in the 2024

election (margin of error: +/-3.3%). See www.JewishElectorateInstitute.org.


Among its many findings, the survey revealed interesting statistics on American Jewish voters’ concerns about antisemitism in America, post-October 7th. For example, 70% of those polled who voted for the Democratic presidential

candidate felt extreme concern about antisemitism, whereas just 27% of those who voted for the Republican presidential candidate were extremely concerned about antisemitism in America. However, some 45%, a plurality, of both Republican and Democratic voters equally saw antisemitism as a serious threat. On the question of ‘how much antisemitism do you think there is in America?,’ voters for both the Republican and Democratic candidates showed that 64% of those polled believed that there was “a lot” and 30% believed there was “some.”


The November 2024 survey also revealed that large majorities of both Republican and Democratic voters believed that antisemitism in America had increased, and nearly a third had experienced it personally in the year prior. In fact, 80% of those polled acknowledged that, compared with five years earlier, there was considerably more antisemitism in the U.S. at present. In addition, concerns about campus antisemitism were much more intense, with 71% of those polled either

“extremely” or “very” concerned about antisemitism on college campuses. Given how these numbers reveal antisemitism to be a serious and growing problem in America today, JEI is very pleased that this hearing is being held and

will gladly work alongside this Committee to help alleviate this major disruptive issue for all our Nation’s citizens.




Sincerely,

Jewish Electorate Institute

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That evidence includes a September survey by the Jewish Electorate Institute , conducted by the Democratic-aligned Mellman Group. It found that Jewish voters favored Democratic congressional candidates over Republicans by 71% to 23%. The Democratic advantage was virtually unchanged from their similar survey in March. Among Jewish Democrats, 97% said they would vote Democratic. At the same time, the survey found real unease within the party. More than a third of Jewish Democrats said the rise of anti-Israel candidates had made it harder for them personally to identify as Democrats. A majority of Jewish voters said antisemitism was increasing within the Democratic Party, and a similar share said it was increasing within the Republican Party.

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A Jewish Electorate Institute poll conducted in late August and early September found that 71% of Jewish respondents would vote for the Democrat in their congressional race, while just 23% would back the Republican.  Those numbers are virtually unchanged since March. But among Jews engaged in Jewish life, you can see the shift happening in real time.

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The latest Jewish Electorate Institute survey gives Democrats a commanding 71 percent to 23 percent advantage among Jewish voters on the generic congressional ballot, virtually unchanged from its March poll. Sixty-nine percent identify as Democrats, while 24 percent identify as Republicans.  The same poll contains a less comfortable set of numbers, though: 57 percent of Jewish voters overall say antisemitism is increasing within the Democratic Party, while 35 percent of Jewish Democrats say the rise of anti-Israel Democratic candidates has made it harder for them personally to identify as Democrats. The votes may still be staying Democratic, but for some Jewish voters, identification with the party is becoming more complicated.