Jews have been targets of 18 hate crimes so far this year in Texas, or about 5% of the 345 hate crimes recorded in the state, according to the most up-to-date, publicly available data from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Uniform Crime Reporting system.
State agencies report their monthly data by the 10th of the next month, and the numbers can change as new information is submitted, the department says.
Jews were targeted much more often than one would expect demographically, with some estimates that 0.72% of Texans are Jewish. That would mean that Jews have been targets of hate crimes in Texas about six times as often as one would expect given demographic numbers.
Other groups targeted often, according to the current state hate crime data, include white people (12.53%), black people (25.07%), Latinos (7.8%), Muslims and Arabs (4.1%), Sikhs (5.57%) and LGBT people (18.3%).
In 2025, there were 599 hate crimes in the state, per department data, 41 of which (6.8%) targeted Jews and 21 (3.5%) that targeted Arabs and Muslims. In the past year, from Aug. 1, 2025, until today, the state has recorded 639 hate crimes, 40 of which (6.3%) targeted Jews. In that span, Arabs and Muslims were targeted in 25 incidents, or about 4%.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said on Friday that crime overall declined 13% in the state in 2025, representing the third straight year of declining crime.
“Tough laws and strong law enforcement have reduced crime every year since 2023,” he stated. “We passed the toughest bail reform package in state history, backed law enforcement and targeted violent repeat offenders. Three straight years of lower crime prove those policies work, and Texans are safer because of them.”
Crime in the state fell 8.2% in 2024 and 3.3% in 2023, according to the governor’s office.
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio told JNS that “when a community that represents less than 1% of the population is the target of 5% of reported hate crimes, that’s not just a Jewish issue.”
“It’s a warning sign for society,” it said. “The answer is stronger security, better education and communities willing to stand together against hate.”
Jews account for an “alarming” 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes nationwide, according to Jackie Nirenberg, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Austin.
“Last year was one of the most violent for Jewish Americans—from the terror attack on a synagogue in Bloomfield, Mich., to the murders of two Israeli embassy staffers in D.C., to the deadly firebombing in Boulder, Colo.,” she told JNS.
“Here in Texas, threats to Jewish institutions are on the rise, and hate-based bullying in schools continues to be a serious problem for Jewish students,” Nirenberg said. “ADL continues to work closely with law enforcement, schools and community partners across Texas to ensure the safety of the Jewish community.”
“We call on our fellow Texans to join us in our fight against anti-Jewish hate in the Lone Star State,” she told JNS.
