Statewide Annual Antisemitism Audit Reports 83% Spike in Confirmed Incidents Over the Previous Year
MILWAUKEE — Confirmed antisemitic incidents in Wisconsin surged to 174 in 2025, an 83% increase from 2024 to 2025, according to the 2025 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents released today by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
This sharp increase marks 2025 as a statistically distinct year and signals a troubling shift in the scale and nature of antisemitism. Since 2015, the number of incidents has risen by 923%.
The 2025 audit numbers, the highest on record, were discussed at the JCRC’s annual meeting on May 20. Under the theme “Strength in Community: Confronting Hate, Defending Dignity,” the meeting also honored Evelyn Price with the 2026 Robert H. Friebert Social Justice Award. Price, a lifelong educator, advocate, and community leader, has defined a career marked by an unwavering commitment to educational equity and the empowerment of underserved students.
The 2025 audit highlights a troubling rise in antisemitism, driven largely by anti-Israel and anti-Zionist rhetoric that too often targets Jewish individuals and communities far removed from Israeli government policy. The report documents a rise in Holocaust inversion and inappropriate Nazi comparisons, which distort history and dishonor the memory of Holocaust victims and survivors. It also notes that online antisemitism has reached alarming levels, frequently fueling harassment and real-world acts of hate. At the same time, the audit acknowledges that many incidents likely go unreported due to fear, uncertainty, or concerns about retaliation, suggesting the true scope of antisemitism may be even greater. Together, these trends point to a dangerous normalization of antisemitic behavior and a shift toward more direct personal and institutional targeting that increasingly disrupts daily Jewish life.
“Wisconsin experienced a clear and concerning shift in antisemitic activity between 2024 and 2025, with many incidents becoming more personal, more visible, and more normalized,” said Roberta S. Clark, JCRC executive director. “We saw a 45% increase in incidents involving Holocaust distortion and Nazi imagery, which accounted for 36% of all reported incidents. There was also a dramatic rise in online hate, with 55% of incidents occurring on social media and other digital platforms, nearly triple the number reported the previous year.
“We are also deeply concerned that 18% of reported incidents involved threats, harassment, assaults, or violence targeting members of the Jewish community, particularly those who were visibly Jewish through religious dress, symbols, or participation in Jewish life. At the same time, Jewish organizations accounted for 13% of reported incidents, underscoring that antisemitism increasingly targets both individuals and institutions at the heart of Jewish communal life.”
While incidents in schools and colleges declined to 11% of all cases, the audit reports that, through ongoing conversations with educators, families, and students, many incidents go unreported due to fear, social pressure, or the normalization of antisemitic behavior. The growing demand for training on contemporary antisemitism and safer learning environments, available through services across multiple departments at Milwaukee Jewish Federation, demonstrates that schools across Wisconsin continue to face significant challenges in addressing hate and protecting Jewish students.
A significant driver of antisemitic incidents in Wisconsin in 2025 was the rise of anti-Israel and anti-Zionist “collective blame” rhetoric, present in 58% of reported cases. While criticism of Israeli government policies or military decisions is not inherently antisemitic, holding all Jews responsible for those actions is. Collective blame targets individuals simply because they are Jewish, falsely assumes that all Jews share the same political beliefs, and revives harmful stereotypes that Jews are collectively tied to or responsible for the actions of the State of Israel. This rhetoric has increasingly led to harassment of visibly Jewish individuals, synagogues, Jewish schools, organizations, and businesses with no connection to Israeli policymaking, transforming political disagreement into discrimination based on identity.
Audit Process and How to Report
The JCRC Antisemitism Task Force meets multiple times each year to review each incident and determine whether it should be included in the annual audit. The Task Force has developed guidelines to determine inclusion or exclusion in the audit. Each reported incident is corroborated and reviewed. The audit is evaluated by the JCRC’s Antisemitism Audit Task Force and the JCRC Board.
Allegations of antisemitic incidents or security concerns involving Jewish individuals or Jewish organizations can be submitted via an online form, by email, or by calling our security team at 414-967-SAFE. JCRC works closely with the Wisconsin Jewish Security Network when alleged antisemitism also raises concerns about the physical safety of any member of the Jewish community or a Jewish organization.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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