Jewish institutions are spending a record $1.02 billion annually on security as High Holy Days services draw large crowds. JFNA says more than 4,500 nonprofits now average about $225,000 each in security costs, a 33% rise from 2024. The ADL recorded 6,274 antisemitic incidents in 2025 — down from 2024 but still among the highest on record — with increases in violent assaults. Lawmakers have proposed a bipartisan bill to authorize $1 billion a year to help secure vulnerable houses of worship and other nonprofits.
Jewish Institutions Spend Record $1.02B on Security as High Holy Days Begin
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Jewish institutions across North America are now spending a record $1.02 billion a year on security as the High Holy Days draw large congregations into synagogues amid ongoing antisemitic threats.
Rising Costs As Communities Gather
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the umbrella organization for local federations, estimates that more than 4,500 Jewish nonprofit institutions now spend roughly $1.02 billion annually on protective measures. JFNA’s new calculation places the average security expenditure at about $225,000 per institution — a 33% increase from the federation’s 2024 estimate of $765 million.
What Security Spending Covers
Security expenses extend beyond uniformed guards. JFNA reports that personnel account for the largest share of the total, while about $150 million of the annual sum is devoted to cameras, reinforced doors, controlled-entry systems and other security technologies. JFNA’s estimate does not include more than 1,600 kosher restaurants, roughly 500 kosher markets and other privately owned Jewish businesses.
Mixed Trends in Antisemitism Data
The picture in antisemitism statistics is mixed. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which tracks antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assaults, recorded 6,274 incidents in 2025 — a 33% decline from 2024 but still the third-highest annual total since the ADL began tracking in 1979. Within those incidents, physical assaults rose 4% and assaults involving deadly weapons rose 39%.
Federal crime statistics also showed a decline in reported anti-Jewish hate crime incidents, falling from 1,938 in 2024 to 1,528 in 2025. The ADL’s analysis of FBI data found that anti-Jewish incidents represented 63% of reported religion-based hate crimes and 14% of all reported hate crimes in 2025.
Preparations And Legislative Response
As High Holy Days services begin — with Rosh Hashanah having started Friday and Yom Kippur observed on Sept. 20-21 — Jewish security groups are conducting training and threat-response exercises ahead of the holidays. At the federal level, lawmakers have proposed additional assistance: the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, introduced by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), would authorize $1 billion a year to help vulnerable houses of worship and other nonprofit institutions bolster security. The bill also targets antisemitism on college campuses and online and has companion legislation in the House.
Impact On Communities
Leaders say the result is a growing financial trade-off for Jewish institutions: spending heavily to protect congregants and facilities while pressing lawmakers for federal funds to meet a security burden that has expanded alongside the threat. Communities are adapting through a combination of increased staffing, technology upgrades and coordinated training, all aimed at keeping congregants safe during one of the busiest seasons of the year.
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