ADL Ohio River Valley partners with local leaders, law enforcement and higher education institutions to reduce antisemitic incidents
CLEVELAND, May 6, 2026, … Antisemitic incidents across the Ohio River Valley dropped sharply in 2025, falling 47 percent from 394 incidents in 2024 to 209, according to ADL’s (the Anti-Defamation League) annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, released today.
The Ohio River Valley region (which includes Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania) tracked 31 antisemitic incidents on college campuses, down from 77 incidents in 2024. The decline in college campus incidents followed ADL’s sustained campus engagement efforts, which included training for university administrators and close coordination with campus security and Title VI coordinators to ensure incidents were reported.
White supremacist propaganda also decreased from 46 incidents in 2024 to 37 incidents in 2025. The decrease in incidents comes as ADL works closely with community leaders and organizations to address antisemitism on all fronts, including ADL’s Center on Extremism actively monitoring white supremacist organizing in the region.
“Antisemitic incidents in the Ohio River Valley fell by 47 percent in 2025, and that is real progress worth recognizing. But 209 incidents is still nearly double what this region saw before October 7,” said Dr. Kelly Fishman, ADL Ohio River Valley Regional Director. “Antisemitism remains a prevalent and real threat to Jewish people. Jewish communities here should not have to wonder whether they are safe. We are continuing to work with our partners to increase support for the Jewish community and expand the progress seen in 2025.”
Major Regional Findings Include
Ohio
- Overall antisemitic incidents decreased from 233 in 2024 to 117 in 2025
- Assaults increased from 0 in 2024 to 2 in 2025
Kentucky
- Overall antisemitic incidents decreased from 58 in 2024 to 28 in 2025
- Incidents targeting Jewish institutions decreased from 21 in 2024 to 12 in 2025
West Virginia
- Overall antisemitic incidents increased from 12 in 2024 to 14 in 2025
- Incidents of vandalism increased from 3 in 2024 to 11 in 2025
Pennsylvania
- Overall state-wide antisemitic incidents decreased from 465 in 2024 to 281 in 2025
- State-wide incidents in non-Jewish K-12 schools increased from 19 in 2024 to 21 in 2025
Incidents Across the Region
The following incidents illustrate the range and impact of antisemitism across the Ohio River Valley region in 2025 and ADL’s response:
Following a spike in antisemitic incidents at Case Western Reserve University in the immediate aftermath of October 7, the university took decisive action — forming a dedicated antisemitism task force, working closely with ADL, Hillel, and the Jewish Federation, and participating in ADL campus programs — and earned an A on ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card. President Eric Kaler was recognized on the main stage at ADL’s Never Is Now conference for the university's commitment to the Jewish community.
Additionally, after an antisemitic incident occurred at a middle school in central Ohio, the district superintendent reached out to ADL Ohio River Valley, requesting additional training. ADL delivered two required professional development sessions, one for the administrative team and one for the mental health team, focusing on antisemitic myths and stereotypes and an incident response scenario workshop.
And in the summer of 2025, antisemitic flyers were distributed in broad daylight in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Working alongside the Pittsburgh Jewish Federation security team, ADL coordinated with local law enforcement, and the perpetrator was identified, apprehended and sentenced.
National Trends
The Ohio River Valley 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 (the Anti-Defamation League) 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.