FBI Director Says Antisemitism Hitting “Historic Levels”

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified on October 31 that the volume of antisemitism is heading toward “historic levels” in the United States, National Review reported.

Speaking to the Senate Homeland and Government Affairs Committee, Wray said that antisemitism “is a threat that is reaching in some ways sort of historic levels, in part because … the Jewish community is targeted by terrorists really across the spectrum.” “In fact, our statistics would indicate that for a group that represents only about 2.4 percent of the American public, they account for something like 60 percent of all religious-faith hate crimes,” he said. Last week, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released a report finding that antisemitic incidents increased by 388% from October 7-23 this year over the same timeframe in 2022.

Wray also warned that the U.S. is in a “dangerous period” and that the threat of a terror attack in the U.S. is currently at a “whole other level.” He also acknowledged that “the gaps in our intelligence are real.” Wray expressed concern that “violent extremists” could “draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against Americans going about their daily lives,” Jewish News Syndicate reported.

The FBI director preached “vigilance.” “You often hear the expression if you see something, say something – that’s never been more true than now,” Wray said.