SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego saw a significant decline in antisemitic incidents in 2025, but a new report from the Anti-Defamation League shows violent attacks across the country increased, and three Jewish people were killed.
The ADL released its annual antisemitism report on Wednesday.
In San Diego, there were 91 total incidents — a 35% decrease from the 139 incidents reported in 2024. October saw the highest number of incidents with 15, followed by June with 12. Of the 91 incidents, 24 were vandalism, down 20% from 2024, and 67 were harassment, down 36%. There were no reported physical attacks in San Diego.
In an in-depth conversation with ABC 10News anchor Jared Aarons, ADL San Diego Regional Director Fabienne Perlov said the decline does not signal progress.
"Nearly one in four incidents now target Jewish institutions, including 13 synagogues that received threats like 'Hitler was right' and 'Jews are dirty dogs that need to be put down,'" Perlov said. "At the same time, our children face more genocide and Holocaust-themed death threats in their classrooms, from their peers and, in the worst cases, their teachers."
Perlov said the toll on families is deeply personal.
"It breaks my heart every single time when I hear a parent telling us that their child has been the subject of anti-Semitic harassment because of who they are, because of their identity."
Perlov also said the type of incidents in San Diego is concerning. More than a dozen targeted Jewish institutions rather than individuals. Among them: Ohr Shalom Synagogue in January and a Jewish fraternity at San Diego State University in February.
Perlov said attacks on institutions make everyone in the community feel unsafe.
"This is their safe space. This is a space where they can practice their religion, where they can learn, and they should be able to do it without having to go through a metal detector or several layers of security. They should be able to do it without fear."
Rabbi Meltzer of Ohr Shalom Synagogue said the recent years have been unlike anything in his experience.
"I grew up in San Diego and have been at the synagogue for 23 years, and nothing compares to these last few years," he said in a statement from the ADL. "We have been vandalized with hate-filled graffiti multiple times and the perpetrator is still nowhere to be found. There is great fear in my congregation. Our security budget has skyrocketed to make our building safe."
Perlov said the decline may also reflect underreporting.
"Families (have lost) faith in institutional responses or fear retaliation against their children," she says. "To every Jewish family: we see you, believe you, and are fighting for you. Please report any incident at https://www.adl.org/report-incident"
Nationally, there were 6,274 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment and vandalism in 2025 — an average of 17 incidents per day. While that total represents a 33% decrease from 2024, it remains the third-highest year for antisemitic incidents since the ADL began tracking in 1979, after 2023 and 2024.
WATCH — Anchor Jared Aarons' full interview with Fabienne Perlov:
Notably, physical assaults increased 4% nationally, with at least 300 people victimized. That includes three people killed in antisemitic attacks: 2 in a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. in May, and 1 at the firebombing of the"Run for Their Lives" event in Boulder, Colorado in June. Those marked the first Jewish deaths in antisemitic attacks since 2019 and the first antisemitic attack fatalities on American soil since 2022.
California had the second-highest number of incidents in the country, with 817 incidents reported in 2025, down from 1,344 in 2024. There were 29 assaults, 246 incidents of vandalism, and 542 incidents of harassment.
Perlov said the numbers represent real people in real communities.
"55% of American Jews said that they have experienced anti-Semitism in some forms in 2025. That's more than half of our American Jewish community that doesn't feel safe, and those are not just numbers, right? Those are real people. They are your neighbors. They are your school children, your coworkers."
Perlov said fighting antisemitism is a responsibility that extends beyond the Jewish community.
"It's not OK. We all have a role in fighting anti-Semitism and if you are not Jewish, you have a role. We need everyone to be involved in addressing this problem... If you see anti-Semitism, please speak up. Be an upstander."
See the full interview with ABC 10News Anchor Jared Aarons and Fabienne Perlov here:
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