More than 80% of religion-based hate crimes in Chicago have targeted Jews so far this year, per official city statistics

(Oct. 12, 2026 / JNS)

From October 2023, the month of the Oct. 7 attacks, until this month, Illinois has recorded 221 anti-Jewish hate crime offenses, which were part of 190 such incidents, according to FBI data.

The anti-Jewish offenses and incidents in Illinois are about 18% of all hate crime offenses in the state in that span, according to statistics that the federal bureau has released. And Jews have been the targets of about 70% of all 273 religion-based hate crime incidents since October 2023, according to the FBI.

Jews reportedly make up just about 2.67% of Illinois residents.

By way of comparison, there were 20 (1.6%) anti-Arab offenses, part of 17 (1.6%) incidents, and 32 (2.6%) anti-Muslim offenses, part of 28 (2.7%) incidents, in Illinois from October 2023 until October 2026.

According to a Chicago Police Department hate crime dashboard, hate crimes in the city rose by almost 50% from 205 in 2022 to 303 in 2023, the year in which the Oct. 7 attacks occurred. In 2024, there were 241 hate crimes in Chicago, followed by 205 in 2025 and 115 so far in 2026, per city data.

Religion has been the motivation of 26 hate crimes so far this year, or about 23%. Of the 115 hate crimes so far this year, 21 have targeted Jews, or about 18%. That means that more than 80% of religion-based hate crimes in Chicago so far this year have targeted Jews.

In 2025, there were 47 anti-Jewish hate crimes–more than 90% of the 52 religion-based hate crimes in the city—and there were 79 in 2024 and 50 in 2023, or about 89% and 62%, respectively.

So far in 2026, three hate crimes have targeted Muslims and five have targeted Arabs.

“This is a perilous moment in Chicago,” Jay Tcath, executive vice president of the Jewish United Fund of Chicago, which is the local Federation, told JNS.

“We are confronted with the harsh reality that a number of elected leaders, academics and other public officials engage in divisive, dangerous tactics and employ ugly, antisemitic rhetoric that targets Jews and divides people rather than solving the problems we face as a city,” he said.

Since Oct. 7, the organized Chicago area Jewish community has seen a 39% increase in engagement, according to Tcath.

Tcath told JNS that his employer has seen “astounding” growth in engagement in the last three years, according to its internal statistics.

The JUF collects data annually across all of its partner agencies and measures things like synagogue attendance, charitable giving, travel to Israel, young adult and young family programming and participation in Hillel programs on campus.

Tcath thinks the growth reflects a response to rising Jew-hatred and increased interest in Jewish community.

“There are ‘push and pull factors’ fueling that growth in participation,” he told JNS. “Antisemitism arising from multiple corners is pushing people to seek connection, while the community’s welcoming and high-quality offerings represent magnetic ‘pulls.’”

JUF and its partners have expanded security services to more than 300 local Jewish organizations, including synagogues, day schools, camps, preschools, Hillels, community centers, senior residences and social-service agencies, Tcath said.

JUF led the Safeguard Illinois Communities Coalition, which included more than 70 interfaith organizations from across the state and helped secure a 150% increase in funding for the Illinois Not-for-Profit Security Grant Program.

The state’s original budget proposal in February 2026 called for $2 million for the program. The final budget provided $5 million, according to Tcath.

JUF’s security professionals and grant writers have helped local Jewish institutions secure $47 million in state and federal security grants over the past four years, the vast majority during or after 2023, he said.

Tcath said the community must continue investing in security while ensuring that Jewish life remains accessible and meaningful.

“Even as JUF battles those external forces and devotes more resources to security, we must continue to nurture all that is precious within our own community by ensuring affordable, joyous and inspiring Jewish experiences,” he told JNS.