Victims of antisemitism give much more to charity, survey finds

Jews who experienced antisemitism give significantly more to charity than those who have not, according to one of the largest surveys of Jewish household giving ever conducted.

The survey of American Jewish donations in 2022 found that some three-quarters of American Jewish households gave to charity that year, donating an average of more than $10,000. One-quarter of American Jewish households donated to Israeli or Israel-focused organizations, giving an average of nearly $2,500.

The survey of more than 3,000 households, two-thirds of which were Jewish, is being published following an outpouring of American Jewish donations to Israel in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and the ensuing war in Gaza. The war has been accompanied by a spike in reports of antisemitic incidents in the United States.

According to an initial count by the Ruderman Family Foundation, which commissioned the study, American Jews donated more than $750 million to war-related causes in the first seven weeks after the Oct. 7 attack. But the study’s authors caution that the deluge of crisis philanthropy in recent months does not reflect American Jews’ standard giving practices.

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