Strategies for Law Enforcement: Understanding, Responding to, and Preventing Antisemitism

Effective law enforcement responses begin with a clear understanding of antisemitism, its sources, and how it appears in real-world incidents. Officers and investigators must be able to distinguish protected speech from criminal conduct, recognize emerging threats, and understand the diverse communities they serve.

• Understand Jewish identity and civil rights protections: 
  • Under U.S. law, Jews are protected from discrimination and bias crimes as a group defined by shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, which is relevant when applying hate-crime statutes and civil rights protections. 
  • Jewish identity may be expressed through religion, ancestry, culture, or ethnicity. Cultural awareness—including familiarity with Jewish institutions, religious practices, holidays, and symbols—helps officers recognize antisemitism and engage effectively with the Jewish community.
    • The Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America, has a useful and digestible “Introduction to Judaism for law enforcement officers and security professionals.”
• Recognize diverse sources of antisemitism: Antisemitism originates from multiple sources, including far-right and far-left political antisemitism, extremism in the name of Islam, and state-sponsored propaganda. It is multifaceted and extends  beyond religious bias, including conspiracies about Jewish control of politics, media, or finance. Understanding this helps interpret threats, identify potential radicalization pathways, and assess risks.
• Distinguish criticism of Israel from antisemitism: Law enforcement must protect constitutional rights while recognizing when rhetoric crosses into threats or harassment targeting Jews. Blaming Jews for Israel’s actions or calling for violence against Jews or Israelis is antisemitism. Clear guidance helps officers interpret slogans, protests, and statements that may affect Jewish community safety, such as:
  • Slogans that may be interpreted as calling for the elimination of Israel, Jews, or Israelis: e.g., “From the River to the Sea.”
  • Calls for violence: e.g., “Globalize the Intifada.”
  • Statements denying Jews’ right to self-determination: e.g., “Zionism is Racism.”

Responding to antisemitism requires timely action, accurate reporting, and strong coordination between law enforcement, prosecutors, and affected communities. Clear procedures and consistent enforcement ensure that antisemitic incidents are taken seriously, investigated properly, and addressed in ways that protect both public safety and constitutional rights.

• Issue clear public statements: When incidents occur, leadership should reaffirm that antisemitism threatens the entire community and violates the law. Clear communication that focuses on facts and community reassurance prevents misinformation and strengthens public trust. 
• Report hate crime incidents to the FBI: Prioritize reporting antisemitic hate crimes and bias incidents to the FBI through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Ensure officers understand the criteria for identifying and documenting hate crimes and bias incidents. Accurate reporting improves national data, strengthens situational awareness, and helps track emerging threats.

• Encourage victims and witnesses to report incidents: Many antisemitic incidents go unreported because victims doubt that reporting will lead to action. Building trusted reporting channels with community organizations can improve reporting and strengthen prevention efforts.
  • Train officers in trauma-informed interviewing and victim support practices to improve reporting experiences and strengthen trust.
• Conduct thorough investigations and support prosecution: Investigate antisemitic incidents thoroughly and coordinate closely with prosecutors so cases can be charged appropriately under applicable laws. Strong investigations improve the likelihood of successful prosecutions. Sharing factual updates when appropriate can reassure affected communities that incidents are taken seriously.
• Ensure accountability within law enforcement: Disciplinary action against police officers if they make antisemitic remarks or mishandle cases demonstrates commitment and engenders long-term community trust.

Effective prevention depends on trusted relationships, coordinated intelligence sharing, and preparedness during periods of heightened risk. National guidance should provide scalable strategies that enable all law enforcement agencies, regardless of size or resources, to conduct effective community outreach and coordinate security for at-risk populations.

Community engagement and trust:

• Designate a community liaison: Assign an officer to maintain direct, ongoing communication with Jewish community leaders, institutions, and security organizations. Liaison officers help coordinate security planning, respond quickly to incidents, and ensure concerns are communicated to department leadership. Effective liaison programs typically include:
  • Regular engagement with community leaders to discuss emerging threats, security concerns, and community events.
  • Joint trainings and exercises with community stakeholders focused on crisis response, communication, and de-escalation. Options include the Secure Community Network’s Stop the Bleed, De-Escalation, and The Power of Hello programs. When possible, conduct tabletop exercises to prepare for an emergency. 
  • Coordination on security planning for synagogues, schools, community centers, and major holidays or public gatherings.
  • Information sharing with federal and regional partners.
  • Sharing of federal and state resources, such as connecting institutions to programs like the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).
  • Rapid communication during incidents to ensure accurate information and coordinated response.

Institutional protection and safety planning:

• Maintain and update safety plans, protect against doxxing, swatting, and targeted harassment: Work with community partners to establish and share protocols for protecting sensitive locations, events, and personal information of prominent Jewish leaders.
• Protect Jewish institutions and public events: Provide visible law enforcement presence and coordinated security support during major Jewish holidays, festivals, and community gatherings when appropriate. Law enforcement should conduct a site visit and have a copy of community organization floor plans to ensure they are familiar with the site in case of an emergency. Help ensure communities are aware of relevant legal protections, to include U.S. federal laws such as the 2018 Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and Title II and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

Threat monitoring and situational awareness: 

• Improve monitoring and intelligence sharing: Monitor online and offline indicators of antisemitic threats, including extremist activity in digital spaces and social media platforms. Coordinate and strengthen information sharing with cyber units and across local, state, and federal agencies, including with fusion centers, the FBI, and DHS.
• Prepare for predictable periods of heightened risk: Antisemitic incidents often increase during predictable periods of heightened tension. To prevent incidents, reassure communities, and ensure rapid response, plan proactively in advance of and during:
  • Jewish holidays and major religious observances
  • Major geopolitical events involving Israel or the Middle East
  • Election periods and large public demonstrations
  • Anniversaries of extremist attacks or historically significant dates
    • Preparation may include increased patrol visibility near Jewish institutions, coordination with community security leaders, intelligence briefings, and communication with federal partners.
• Recognize the role of foreign malign influence and extremist networks: Antisemitic threats may be fueled by extremist movements or foreign influence operations. Be aware of these dynamics and coordinate with federal authorities when such threats emerge.

Educational Resources

• AJC’s Translate Hate, a visual glossary of words and symbols that are antisemitic or can become antisemitic in context
• AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America Reports
• AJC’s Recognizing When Anti-Israel Actions Become Antisemitic
• AJC’s 10 Tough Questions on Antisemitism Explained
• AJC Guide to Jewish Religion and Culture
• AJC’s 6 “Pro-Palestinian” Protest Chants You’ve Heard—And How They’re Being Used to Target Jews
• For additional information, reach out to [email protected] 

Practical Resources

• Protecting Places of Worship: Six Steps to Enhance Security Against Targeted Violence Fact Sheet (DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)
• Secure Community Network Training Catalogue (Stop the Bleed, Navigating Conflict: The Power of De-Escalation, The Power of Hello)
• Anti-Defamation League’s Combating Antisemitism: A Training for Law Enforcement 
• AJC’s Guide to Federal Statutes that Protect Jews from Discrimination